Primal Forces
by Lil' Miss Mezzo
Summary: Two priestesses return to help four shinobis defeat the almighty Kyuubi. What's more, love spirals out of control along with trust and betrayal. There's some new characters and some Yuri content but that doesn't show until later chapters
1. Chapter 1

Welcome back, everyone!! Chikane-AnnaOnodera here. I'm back with my new fanfic. It's way shorter than Sailor Galaxy Chronicles, but yeah. Better than an oneshot.

Rather than centering on Chikane and Himeko's shojo ai relationship, I'm adding in some action and ninjas of sort. I told ya: I'm an action type person. But there will be some lesbian stuff.

A lot of things that are being introduced in my fanfic are arduous to understand (like the word 'arduous' meaning 'difficult'), but if you played or know about the Playstation 2 game _Primal_, and all the supernatural stuff in there, then reading this fanfic will be a breeze.

Now that the introduction's complete, let's get this show on the road. I present _Primal Forces_…

**Chapter 1**

_The universe is governed by distant realms, balanced by a dimension called the Nexus. It is the primal source for balance in the world, drawing energy from each realm. It is evident that outside forces would attempt to conquer these realms._

_To secure them, four shinobi are appointed and given special powers. They lay dormant until called again…_

_By the priestesses of the godless month._

* * *

"Kasai, knock it off!!" 

The blue eyes turned and fixated on the boy standing on the steps. His red spiky hair flared brightly from the shadows cast by nearby trees.

Back to the staircase, the boy inherited purple eyes and silver hair from his ancestors. The stern facial features gave a demanding look.

"So," he began. "You must be Hikaru Kasai: the academy's prankster."

Hikaru smirked at his given title. Despite being dragged to the headmaster's office almost every day, he took pride in belittling and harassing anyone he pleases.

"And you must be Raido Ikazuchi," Hikaru stated. "The new kid. Welcome to Ototachibana Academy."

The prestigious high school academy waited just atop the stairs, preparing for classes to begin. Established in 1902, its campus is noted for its education and for nurturing humanity in its students. The Academy works as a middle and high school, giving knowledge to all adolescents. It has been a co-ed school for thirteen years, enough time given to build a dormitory for male students. Within the nation, Ototachibana Academy ranks at the top in archery and tennis for both genders.

"What a nice welcome. Now drop him from there!" Raido ordered. From behind Hikaru's back, another boy dangled upside down with his foot hanging from a rope. Hikaru still desired to watch him squirm, but was forced to obey Raido's command. He walked over and untied the rope, leaving the boy to fall to the ground.

"OW!!"

Raido walked up to the boy and helped him up to his feet. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," was the reply. "My head's kinda spinnin', but I'll live." The boy looked up at Raido with green orbs kindly. He brushed off some dirt from his spiky white hair.

"My name's Isamu Gogyou. It's nice to meet you."

"Same here," Raido said.

Suddenly, the school bell tolled and alerted the students for class.

"Oh, no!"

"We're gonna be late!"

As Raido and Isamu began to panic about tardiness, Hikaru only chuckled with amusement.

"You guys are getting a red card," he taunted.

"And _you're_ getting one along with them."

The voice crept up from behind Hikaru and made him jump from his skin. Spinning around, he saw the black hair and hazel eyes that made everyone shiver. The young man's tall stature slightly over took the others.

"Aisu!" Hikaru exclaimed. Of all the people in the academy, he didn't want to deal with Katashi Aisu, one of the very few students with high power.

"If you don't hurry your asses, we're gonna get detention," Katashi explained. "Now, move it!"

The three other freshmen obeyed. Isamu quickly brushed off some final dirt from his newly acquired school uniform. Its royal blue jacket and pants covered a white dress shirt as a green tie hung from the neck. He and Raido ran up the steps as Hikaru speed walked away from Katashi, whereas he sulked over to the top behind them. And classes began.

* * *

Later that day, as students crowded the area after school, two young women in their late teens appeared and all eyes were fixated on them. The radiant blond and blue hair, the elegant purple and blue eyes, and their gorgeous existences looked up at Ototachibana Academy. 

"Are they here?"

"No, all four of them left. This isn't enough; we need help. I think it's time for a little reunion with Ohgami."

"Do you think he'll be glad to see us, Chikane?"

"Of course, Himeko. Ohgami would be delighted to see you again, after such a long time."

The two girls smiled at each other before setting off to the Ohgami Shrine, where an old friend waited.

* * *

Okay, some new characters, some old characters. I'll try to make everything seem perfect. I'm posting the first few chapters in the same day, so keep reading! 


	2. Chapter 2

All right…second chapter. The first chapter might have been crud, but whatever. Here we go!

**Chapter 2**

Isamu dragged his feet as he walked the long trek to the dormitories. The sudden construction of the dorms had to be so far away…

'_And…'_ Isamu thought. _'…to make things worse, I got picked on today. Kasai's been on my case lately. Thank goodness Ikazuchi was there to help me.'_

But then his face turned sour. _'And then Katashi Aisu had to be there. I heard he hasn't smiled since the Aisu clan was murdered.'_

He didn't hear much, but Isamu collected the fact that Katashi witnessed the annihilation of his family. For once in his life, he thought he was lucky: it was only his mother's side of the family that was slaughtered. Isamu barely saw her after his parents got a divorce. And now his only family is the Gogyous.

Isamu noticed he passed by the Ohgami Shrine, home of the reigning popular Souma Ohgami. Although he graduated from the academy, Souma continued to stay connected as the main gym instructor. He was one of the youngest teachers, but still respected as an equal.

He looked up at the shrine, admiring its wonder, when Isamu noticed a skulking figure before it.

'_Who's that?'_

Following his positive yet one-sided instincts, Isamu walked to the shrine steps and crept closer to the mysterious shadow.

"Gogyou?"

Isamu looked behind him and found Raido Ikazuchi giving a concerned gaze.

"What are you doing here" Raido asked.

"I saw someone sneaking around at the top. He might disturb the Ohgamis, so I though I might stop him." Isamu's explanation seemed kind of weak, since he used a little under average tone.

* * *

Raido chuckled and shook his head. "Souma's gonna catch you." Isamu's expression turned to melancholy and was easily noticed by Raido, who didn't mean to put him down. "I mean…catching someone needs more than just one person. Come on, I'll join you." 

He walked ahead and ascended the stairs with Isamu following close behind. What they didn't know was that both of them were being followed by someone else.

Hikaru snickered as he tiptoed across the Ohgami grounds. After hearing rumors of a secret cave, he couldn't help but 'explore' to fulfill his curiosity.

'_Awesome!'_ he thought. _'I haven't had this much fun since my first prank on Gogyou. This late at night, no one can-'_

"Stop right there!"

Hikaru felt his nerves go numb while sneaking through the trees. He turned around to find an intimidated Isamu and the ever-righteous Raido, who glared with proud purple eyes. But Hikaru only groaned as their presence was meaningless.

"What do you want now?" Hikaru whined.

"Why are you trespassing here, Kasai!?" Raido demanded. "Souma will throw you out in no time flat."

"That will only happen if he finds out, which he will not."

"You mustn't do this!" Isamu exclaimed.

"Look: I only came here to check out this 'secret cave'," Hikaru explained. "If you guys keep your traps shut about this, I'll never come back."

"You bet you won't."

Raido and Isamu spun around ad gasped at the sight of Katashi Aisu beaming down at them.

"Aisu!!"

Katashi examined all three of them and froze when he saw something slither behind Hikaru's feet. The prankster remained oblivious to the danger curling around his shoes.

"K-Kasai…" he stuttered. "D-Don't move a muscle." Raido and Isamu followed his gaze as their eyes widened.

"Snake!!" Isamu screamed.

"No, really?" Katashi asked sarcastically. Hikaru looked down and saw the slithering terror with his own eyes. He had no time to move once it wrapped around his ankle with surprising strength.

"Shit!!"

The serpent tugged and left Hikaru hitting the ground. As the other three ran to his aid, more snakes appeared ad coalesced right before them. They hissed and entwined, creating a pillar of snakes.

"What the fuck!?" Hikaru shrieked as he stood and watched the snakes take form of a young woman in her early twenties. Black hair draped down to her shoulders as she swayed around like a hunchback. A tan cloth covered her body and a purple rope was carelessly tied around her waist. She wore black pants and blue shoes, but what attracted the boys' perplexed gazes were her sharp-slitted eyes.

"Oh," she said coolly, "what charming boys do we have here?"

"Who the hell are you!?" Raido asked frantically."

"Hebiko's the name. I don't intend young boys to know me, since they will die, anyways."

Hebiko's face turned disgusted and tormented as the thought of the adolescent populace ran through her head. "Children such as you are useless in the world. I should bring an end to the world's suffering by taking your lives!!"

"Run!!" Katashi immediately dashed back to the shrine, followed by Hikaru, Raido, and Isamu. Hebiko watched them like a predator before releasing a baneful grin. Her body lost form and dispersed into a pile of snakes as hisses filled the night. One primary desire drove them all to hunt and kill:

The need to feed.

* * *

After a long day of teaching, he finally found a chance to relax. Souma Ohgami stepped out on the porch and looked into the night sky, thinking of only one person. One girl. 

'_Kurusugawa…Himeko…I haven't seen her since graduation.'_ His reminiscing made him worry. _'She said she was finding that special someone. He must be one lucky guy. No way would she ever like-'_

"Souma!!"

His hazel orbs shifted to the entrance as Souma found two girls running towards him. Brushing his black hair out of his eyes, he recognized the radiant goddess with blonde hair.

"Kurusu—Himeko!" Souma got to his feet to welcome her, but noticed the other female by her side. "It's good to see you. Who's your friend?"

But as he took note of her cascading hair, perfect breasts, and excellent cured body, a dark memory buried deep within his mind slowly resurfaced and changed Souma's first impression…

_The fall from the second floor took a toll on his body as crimson blood mixed with the pelting rain. He struggled to rise up, but her sudden power was too great._

'_What is this power!?' Souma frantically thought. 'Is she an Orochi?'_

"_What do you think you're doing?"_

_He turned to look up at the roof despite the pain and water keeping him down. Staring down at Souma, she wore the uniform of the solar priestess with bow and arrow in hand._

"_You're far too weak," she belittled. "Take a good look at yourself. I'll just do the world a favor and quickly get rid of you…Souma Ohgami."_

_She aimed the arrow at his limp form as he realized the horrific transformation. The girl that Souma always respected and treated like an equal drove off the edge of madness and sexually assaulted Himeko. To become an Orochi…he couldn't stand to bring himself to look at her._

"_Himemiya!!"_

"_Fuck off!!" And with that, she blasted an explosive arrow before him._

The figure standing before Souma was entirely different from the one in the incident yeas ago. He knew that he was looking at the true person he respected and approved: Chikane Himemiya.

"Himemiya…" His voice was soft. "You're back."

Himeko's face lit up. "You remember her, Souma!?"

He nodded.

"AAH!!"

Souma wheeled around as Himeko and Chikane glared into the woods. "What was that!?"

"Himeko…" Chikane turned to her partner. "It's probably them!"

Himeko agreed: it was finally time to fulfill the mission assigned to them…the mission that could save the world.

All three of them ran towards the woods, hoping to work together once again.

* * *

Hikaru was almost out of breath, continually lagging behind the others. Even though he didn't look back, he knew the snakes were closing in on him. But Hikaru didn't know they were already so close. 

A corn snake secretly crept up and wrapped around his foot, tripping him freshly. Hebiko quickly reformed and skulked towards Hikaru. He couldn't move with the snake holding him in place; squirming with fear, the boy raised his arms to defend himself.

"What…" Hebiko taunted. "No tricks up your sleeve this time?"

By then, he was scared out of his wits. Hikaru wanted to let everything go; he wanted it all to be over. In a final attempt, Hikaru opened his mouth wide and released s chilling shriek.

"AAAHH!!"

As Hebiko neared him, a sudden burst of wind lashed at her body and pushed her back. She felt like she was fighting a blistering storm fleeing out of the boy's lungs. _'Is he…the WIND ninja!?'_

"Kasai!!"

Raido came up and helped Hikaru to his feet, watching the adversaries for any retaliation. Isamu and Katashi arrived as well before Hebiko recollected her cool and glared at the boys.

"Targets confirmed. You'll never get to the Nexus."

The boys were struck dumbfounded at her declaration.

'_What the hell is the Nexus?'_ Katashi pondered. More serpents rose in assault and lunged towards the students with a thirst for blood. With no weapons nor a single idea of what to do, the boys waited for their demise. _'This is it!!'_

Arrows whizzed past their heads in a flash, piercing the snakes in their wide jaws. Blood lightly tainted Hebiko's skin, but her main concern was her loyal servants that were being butchered. She whimpered like a child ad watched the snakes turn to ash. "My devils…"

The four boys turned around to see two older girls with flowing long hair. One of them had long blue hair and held a bow and arrows.

"Himeko…" She tossed her partner a tanto from behind. "Take care of some of these slithering freaks."

"Got it" was Himeko's answer. Unsheathing the tanto, she slashed to and fro at their heads, overpowering one snake at a time. Chikane continued to summon arrows and shoot them from her bow.

Not far ahead, Hebiko's rage intensified with every serpent slain. Words escaped her lips threateningly. "Children…ruin everything…you should all GO TO HELL!!"

"You wish!"

From up above, Souma Ohgami leapt high and crashed down on Hebiko with a mighty kick. The slithering opponent easily dodged it, but Souma came back up and tried multiple blows on the versatile woman. "These kids have nothing to do with you!" he cried.

"On the contrary…" Hebiko replied. "They're four of our worst enemies!"

Out of the blue, a massive anaconda shot out and coiled around Souma's body. Little by little, he lost his breath as the squeeze was getting tighter. His strength began to ebb and leave him helpless.

Himeko stopped her swings for a moment and watched in fear. "Souma!" She tried to run to his aid, but more slithering reptiles blocked her path. Chikane was caught up in a battle of her own. There was no one to help them.

The boys watched from a distance as their saviors were about to fall. Katashi felt a sense of weakness and shook his fist.

'_We have to help!'_

A golden light swirled around his fist and arm. It glowed with power and beauty as it came into the form of a chain of pure steel. Each link gave off spikes that resembled thorns, but it didn't hurt him. Feeling some strength emerge, Katashi rushed up and lashed the chain at several snakes. They were decapitated in an instant before dissolving into dust.

Chikane saw the numbers declining and headed straight for Souma. "Hang on!" She readied five arrows on her bow and shot them straight into the anaconda's head. As the last jolt of energy escaped its body, the serpent uncoiled from Souma and dropped to the ground.

Hebiko's rage and frustration reached the max. "Damn brats!!" Her body and spirit longed to thrash at them…but the loss of her beloved snakes told her to trust her instincts and retreat. Hebiko's remaining snakes slithered up her limbs and covered every patch of skin. Her body disappeared and the snakes slithered away.

Souma gasped for breath as he stared at the lifeless anaconda. Starting from the tail, it began to evaporate and disappear from the face of the earth.

"Souma!"

Himeko ran up, bringing a sense of joy within him. She began to pat Souma's back and comfort the young man. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" he replied. "No sweat."

They gave grins to each other while the boys continuously stood dumbfounded. The chain around Katashi's hand vanished as Isamu began to stutter. "Wh-Wh-Wha..What the hell…?"

He began to reel back until Himeko, Chikane, ad Souma noticed his state of shock. Isamu finally lost consciousness and fell on the cluttered ground.

"Gogyou!"

* * *

There you go: the first two chapters. I reeeaaaaaallllyyyy like reviews, so try to leave some, m'kay?It might take a while to update, but I'll do my best. Reviews give a big confidence boost. Hope you'll like this fanfic. Basically, from now on, I'll be writing Rated M fanfics. Let's se what happens with that. See ya later! 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey there. I'm back! This story's probably stupid, but I saw that a lot of people read since then, and that made me happy. So here's the third chapter. I'm also spending some time with _Soul of the Shell_, and…I wrote my first lemons in that story. I was like "omfg!" and it's probably stupid, but I could care less! XD It's still gonna take a while until I post it up.

Yeah…this fanfic doesn't have chapter names because I planned this one from so long ago, I forgot to name them. I hope to finish it before January. Let's go!

**Chapter 3**

"_Your family deserved it."_

_The blood-stricken child lay exhausted on the floor, staring across the room. The surrounding walls had crimson blood smeared everywhere, dripping down onto the decrepit ground. It coalesced with the recent liquid oozing out of the limp forms, slashed and beaten with no mercy. The celebration turned into a massacre as the sudden stranger wiped off the last bit of gore from her hands._

_"Don't worry...I'll let you live. Try to kill me...if you can." She bent down in front of him and moved his sanguinary white hair. Another devilish grin spread across her face. "You can't, can you…Isamu Gogyou?"_

* * *

His green orbs snapped open before immediately sitting upright. Sweat dripped down on his thick bed robes and soft covers. As Isamu caught his breath, he had time to observe all around him. 

Delicate artwork draped on the walls. The floors were squeaky clean and completely untouched. Through deep thought, Isamu realized he fell asleep in the Ohgami Shrine.

'_Gah!'_ he panicked. _'Why am I here!? What happened!? Where's Souma!?'_

Just then, the doors slid open and Isamu turned. Souma Ohgami stood calmly with a platter of tea in his hands.

"Gogyou…good morning." He walked in and placed the tea next to Isamu. "I hope you're feeling better."

"…Souma?"

His mind continued to race, but remembered to keep his manners. "Sensei, I apologize for intruding onto your property. I saw Kasai last night and Ikazuchi insisted…"

But Souma only shook his head. "It's all right. No harm was done…except now we found you."

From behind, two girls entered the room in priestess uniforms: one was red and the other was purple. "How is he?" the girl in purple asked. "Is he ready to join the others?"

Souma took a deep breath and stood up. "Yeah. Time to lay it all out." He walked to the other side of the room and picked up a brown box. "We cleaned your uniform for you. Once you dress up, meet us outside." Setting the box next to Isamu, the older teens left the room in silence.

His mind was in total confusion. One day, he was an ordinary shy boy and then the next, a target of a weird person…or persons. Unquestioning their judgment, Isamu quickly dressed and prepared to meet them.

* * *

Katashi leaned against the tree as the impatient Hikaru paced back and forth. Raido sat on the porch as calm as ever, but the pacing **did** begin to annoy him. 

"What are we doing here?" Hikaru suddenly asked. "Some chicks with Souma saved our asses last night, giving no frickin' explanation!"

Raido stood up angrily. "There is an explanation! It was obvious!" Hikaru stopped and glanced at him, confused. "Didn't you notice that sudden burst of wind when you screamed at that woman? And Aisu made that golden chain when Souma and the girls were in trouble." He took a deep breath as Raido tried to absorb the information himself. "There's something about us that Hebiko wants…some kind of power."

"That's right."

"He looked behind and saw Himeko looking at them with a peaceful aura. "You're all special. Chikane and I were sent to guide you to your destinies."

"Our…destinies?" Hikaru received even more thoughts until Isamu appeared in his school uniform, along with Souma and Chikane.

"If you boys are ready…" Chikane explained. "We'll begin to tell you the truth."

They suddenly began to take a high interest. Katashi stood up straight as Hikaru stayed absolutely still. Raido and Isamu joined them before the older teens faced them on the porch.

"This place…" Souma began, "the world that we live in is governed by a dimension far away referred to as the Nexus."

"Within the dimension are four realms," Himeko continued. "They help maintain balance in the entire universe. The realms store four natural elements: earth, water, wind, and fire. Any infiltration of them would lead to cataclysmic results."

Chikane laid down the gist of everything. "There's an organization trying to control the entire universe called the Kyuubi. It has nine followers ranked as 'tails', trying to pursue each and every one of you."

Isamu still didn't get the entire story. "What does it have to do with us? Why are we being chased by this 'Kyuubi'!?"

Chikane and Himeko looked at each other with a feeling of uneasiness. Pulling them out of their own reality was a big step, especially when they haven't known their whole lives. But their very existence hung in the balance, along with the fate of the universe.

"You four…" Chikane turned to them. "…are the guardians of those realms. Shinobi of the four natural elements."

The boys revealed their shocked expressions at the same time. Given such a high title made their normal lives seem like a hobby.

"Shinobi…" Raido whispered. His optimistic personality began to ebb as a sense of pride catalyzed change.

Himeko could sense their need of explanation. "You've guarded these realms for generations, reincarnation every time. You protect and wield a certain element." She stepped off the porch and faced Raido.

"Raido Ikazuchi, you are the ninja of earth. Fierce, yet kind…you fight for what you believe in."

Chikane followed her, but instead went to Isamu's silent form. "Isamu Gogyou, you are the ninja of water. The kindest and softest; repudiating the idea of war."

Souma walked over to Hikaru with slight disgust, but it wasn't visible. "Hikaru Kasai, you are the ninja of wind. Fast and agile…yet dogmatic and proud."

Finally, Chikane moved past Souma and faced Katashi with firm blue eyes. "Katashi Aisu…you are the ninja of fire. Tough and callous, the strongest by brawn." She, along with Souma and Himeko, returned to the porch now that all information has been revealed.

Souma looked at all four of them once he turned. "The Kyuubi is moving fast to control the realms. We need to start your training as soon as possible." He looked at the girls, who nodded at him. Souma nodded back before instructing the boys again. "You have one free day until we start tomorrow. Meet us here in the morning."

Once all three of them left, Hikaru exhaled with what seemed to be exhaustion. "Man, this is too much!" he complained. "I'm gonna use this free day as much as I can." He turned around and waved at the others from behind.

"Smell ya later."

Raido's face turned a bit sour, for he agreed with Hikaru's idea of fun. They both left the Ohgami Shrine while Katashi skulked into the trees.

Isamu stood by himself, trying to absorb everything that's happened. A big turn in his life happened while he had the dream, the nightmare from so long ago. It was too much for him and he had no one to share it with, everything was kept up inside his shy form. He looked for a way to release himself.

He turned his head towards the exit Raido and Hikaru went through. Thoughts racing in his mind, Isamu sprinted off the property, finding a safe place…

Or so he thought.

* * *

On a planet so distant, arduous to search for, nine oversized cages shaped like a "U" shook and tremble, trapping the diverse species of certain animals. Dogs and foxes barked, felines and serpents hissed, weasels squeaked and water sloshed back and forth. 

On top of the slithering cage of serpents, Hebiko formed from coalescing snakes and growled in frustration. "Damn it…Damn it!"

"Aw…did you lose your confidence again? Got your ass handed to you on a platter?"

Hebiko looked at the cage next to hers and sneered. "Fuck off…Mujina." The girl she despised featured natural brown hair with bright purple highlights at the tips. Her long coated nails tapped on the steel bars. Depending on her physical appearance, Mujina looked to be in her mid-teens.

"Fine, fine…" Mujina replied. "Just don't fail next time…baka."

Hebiko bared her fangs. "You are so full of it!!" Her eyes wandered into the cage beneath Mujina. "As if _**those**_ things are of any worth." The critters within the cage squeaked as their elongated nails screeched along the cold iron.

"Anyway, did you hear?" Hebiko loved to fib with her big mouth and tongue. "Hikaru Kasai is the ninja of wind. Got lungs of steel, they say. Kinda tough, though."

"Well, of course he's tough for you. You're the ninth tail."

Hebiko began to steam until a chuckle was heard across from Mujina's cage. Both girls turned and saw a man with spiky hair in a dark orange color. Deep gray orbs stared blankly into the sky as his arm hung loosely on the side of his cage. The man looked to be in his very early twenties, still agile as he swung around and sat upright, slouching in a hunched position.

"Hikaru…he's grown. Haven't seen him in years."

Mujina cocked an eyebrow. "You know him?"

Another chuckle escaped his lips while the gray eyes released a sinister gleam. "Well…something like that." The creatures beneath him growled and splashed, channeling his excitement.

"Just don't overdo it, Fukaso. One wrong move and the first tail will have your neck," Hebiko warned.

"Whatever…" Fukaso stood up and leaned over his cage. Another smirk grew across his face at the thought of his prey.

"Smell ya later." He fell off and stayed unemotional as shark guppies surrounded him, teleporting Fukaso to Mortalis.

* * *

Okay, I'm starting to actually get into the story now. Yay! Don't forget to review! 


	4. Chapter 4

Okay…one review! I'm happy. **Tolona**'s my new friend! Now… Chapter 4… I'll admit there's some stuff pulled from_**Naruto**_ into this fanfic: Kyuubi, ninjas, and the jutsu. But…It's fanfiction: LIVE WITH IT!

I'm trying really hard to give good descriptions and such…but, I dono, there's something wrong!! DX

I've estimated there's gonna be about 20 chapters in the story. We got a long way to go. So let's get this party stared!

**Chapter 4**

The clear blue water gleamed in the sunset, calmly pushing waves back and forth. Seagulls soared away from the beach and the cool breeze supported their flight. Isamu inhaled a deep breath of fresh air and his nerves receded.

'_The water looks good…'_ As the waves kept crashing, his urge to be wet grew every passing second. He began to crave, until finally he threw off his shirt and kicked away his trousers.

Dressed only in his underpants, Isamu dove in and soaked every patch of skin as they came in contact with the liquid. His white hair turned straight as he shot through like a torpedo.

'_All right,'_ he relaxed. _'After all, I __**am**__ the ninja of water.'_

As Isamu enjoyed sinking into the deep blue sea, carnivorous fish swam towards him at an incredible speed. Their fins tore through the waves, crashing into little guppies, giving no attention to them. He decided to twirl in the water before he opened his eyes and glanced out into the dull abyss. Three unknown forms raced to him, craving for his blood. Isamu was able to get a good view and gasped inward.

'_Great White sharks!!'_

He flailed his limbs in still water, watching the sharks circle around him. Their endless amount of teeth wanted to sink into Isamu's skin.

He could sense the danger, the suspense. Isamu felt like the end was near. Energy immediately rose within him while the sharks grew closer. Their jaws began to open wider, waiting to devour him. The energy felt like erupting. In a last minute decision, Isamu clapped his hands together and made the sign of the rooster.

'_WATER STYLE: GIANT VORTEX!!'_

* * *

Chikane, Raido, and Hikaru glanced off in the deep sunset with no hope. 

"He's not here," Chikane sighed. It's been two hours since Isamu disappeared silently and away from sight. Raido didn't show as much concern, but still helped Chikane in finding him. Hikaru didn't give a shit as he leaned back and forth.

"He probably went for a swim," Hikaru guessed. She stared bitterly over at him. His carelessness began to get on her nerves.

"Should we check the oc…" Raido was cut off once a huge vortex shot out of the water, blocking the sun's rays. Hikaru and Raido jumped back as Chikane only watched it rise higher. A mass amount of energy emanated from the vortex, growing stronger with force. Wind slashed around and almost picked them up from their feet.

Silhouettes of two sharks got darker until their actual forms appeared and dropped into the ocean with a big splash

"What is that!?" Hikaru stared wide-eyed at the amazing power while Chikane continued to stay calm.

'_He's awakened his powers…Isamu Gogyou.'_

The force released by the vortex blew into the boys as they struggled to stay put. Chikane's blue hair flew through the wind. All at once, the water stopped churning and dripped back into the ocean, revealing a figure that slowly floated down. Raido and Hikaru watched amazed at the revelation.

"Gogyou!"

He landed perfectly above the water; the soles of his feet were the only part that got wet. His hair was spiky again as he opened his green orbs.

'…_I did it. Those sharks…'_

Suddenly, not far from Isamu, a pillar of water began to rise to human size. A figure stepped out of the vortex with dark orange hair and dull gray eyes. The smirk appeared on his face again as he first laid eyes on the water ninja.

"What an incredible power…that's so low." He reeled back his arms as if to stretch. "You shinobis got a long way to go."

Isamu froze as he realized who the man was. "A Kyuubi…" he whispered.

"Correct" was the man's reply. "Fukaso, the fourth tail." Instead of preparing for combat, he placed his hands behind his head and sighed. "Tell Hikaru…good luck."

In the blink of an eye, Fukaso sot down into the water and disappeared. Isamu stayed still, thinking about what happened. The bloodlust in his eyes reminded him of a woman…the murderer of his family.

'_Is…is __**she**__ a Kyuubi!?'_

"Isamu."

Still standing in the water, Isamu glanced at the shore and found his new friends. Chikane smiled gently as Raido chuckled. "That was tight," he commented.

But Hikaru's expression grew dark as he remembered the man from the water. There was no doubt about it. The same hair, eyes, and attitude was exactly like someone he knew, remembered, and hated.

'_Fukaso…my cousin…the one who killed my brother…'_

As he tightly clenched his fist, blood dripped down and drenched the sand.

* * *

7 o'clock now…I need breakfast. See ya later! 


	5. Chapter 5

Hey there! I've been planning some _Naruto _fanfics: one is about Tenten (I know she's a pointless character, but the story might be kinda fun), and another was inspired by the second ending of _Naruto: Shippuuden_, where everyone was getting together at the school. It may take a while for me to actually get to them, but I'll try them nonetheless. For now, let's continue with the story!

**Chapter 5**

It's been a day since Isamu revealed his potential at the beach. The other boys gained a big boost of confidence.

'_Hell…'_ Katashi thought. _'If Gogyou can do it, so can I.'_

All four waited impatiently in the Ohgami Shrine, called by the priestesses and Souma. Their reasons and motives were unknown, but all was revealed once Souma opened the paper door.

"Hey, guys. Glad you could make it."

"Souma…" Hikaru began to pout. "Did we really only have one day to relax until this big task?"

"I agree," Raido replied. "Knowing something this big so suddenly, we gotta have some time beforehand."

Souma exhaled deeply. It was true that little time was given to the boys, but the Kyuubi was drawing closer to them every single day. They needed to become strong…fast.

"All right. Enough of that. Chikane and Himeko have something for you."

The two priestesses came in from behind, holding two boxes in each one's hands. The boxes had kanji symbols according to each element: "hi" for fire, "mizu" for water, "kaze" for wind, and "tsuchi" for earth.

"These are shinobi uniforms for you to wear," Chikane explained. "Make sure you're wearing the right one." The boys nodded. The priestesses distributed the boxes correctly before standing up.

Himeko sighed. "Well, let's go." As they all exited the room, Souma continually glanced at Himeko from the corner of his eye. A burst of fervor erupted inside him just by looking at her slender, delicate form, hearing her soft gentle voice, and examining the elegant violet eyes. A year after graduation, Souma is still drawn to her sensitive aura.

She noticed his drifting conscience and looked towards him. "Something wrong, Souma?"

Souma looked forward as his face turned red. His blood was boiling when Himeko was only looking at him.

"No…nothing."

* * *

The boys were led outside to the front, where Chikane suddenly stopped before them.

"What is it?" Katashi asked in a monotone, not that he cared. The only desire in his mind was to be stronger. But Chikane didn't take concern in his lazy personality. Instead, she looked deeply into the blank emptiness in front of her.

"Is something there?" She still ignored Isamu's question. Chikane walked a few paces forward and held out her palm, summoning a dark oval portal in front of their eyes.

"Beyond this is the Nexus," she explained. "Through there, you will train in your designated realms." Chikane stepped to the side to let the four shinobi enter. At first, they hesitated nervously before placing a foot through the portal, but after everything that's happened…there's no reason the boys couldn't trust them.

Katashi was the first to pass through the dark portal with fearlessness. In an instant, he disappeared onto the other side.

'_If he can do it…'_ Isamu thought confidently. _'So can I!'_ He followed Katashi's footsteps and stepped into the Nexus. Raido and Hikaru looked at each other before rushing in behind the other boys.

Himeko and Souma returned to Chikane before finally going through together. After walking for a few seconds, everything flashed and they reappeared in the Nexus.

A grand hall was set at the heart of the dimension, balancing the power of the four realms. Gates were stationed in the north, east, south, and west points of the hall. Each door bore a specific kanji symbol, determining the different realms. In the middle of the hall, a pillar released equal amount of energy between the realms, harboring balance.

The boys stared in awe at the amazing features. Himeko walked up and gently placed a hand on Hikaru's shoulder. "How about changing into your shinobi uniforms?"

They took a moment before nodding.

* * *

A fiery volcano erupted far from the gate of Volca, the realm of fire, when Katashi emerged. He stood comfortably in his golden shinobi uniform. The heat from the volcano grew every second, but it didn't bother him. A great temple waited at the base of the volcano, staying as still as stone. As Katashi walked closer to it, jagged ice blocks shot out towards him with blinding speed from the temple. The shock overtook Katashi for a second until he remembered the most obvious thing.

'_Duh! I'm the ninja of __**fire**__! Which means…'_

He quickly clasped his hands together and made the sign of the tiger.

"FIRE STYLE: PHOENIX IMMORTAL FIRE!!"

Energy built up inside as Katashi expanded his mouth. He spat out multiple balls of fire with intense heat and directed them at the blocks of ice, melting them before the water splashed his face. The cool liquid refreshed Katashi, making him more active to train. _'All right!'_

As anxiety began to lift his spirit higher, no attention was given to the young fox slowly creeping upon him. Its tail swayed with a sly movement; the fox licked its sharp fangs silently, waiting to thrash at the ninja. The claws felt the ground, desiring to pounce up and slash him.

But the hunger for Katashi came to a halt as an arrow stuck into the ground before the fox. Both heads jerked to the Volca gate…where the arrow fired from Chikane's bow. Katashi noticed the fox and instantly jumped away.

"Stay away from it!" Chikane ordered, but more foxes skulked out of crevices from behind Katashi. She jumped and landed next to him, both being cornered by canines.

"These kinds of foxes are too strong for my arrows alone." Chikane nudged him from behind. "We're gonna need to combine them with your power."

"And how do we do that?"

She looked above at the shaggy rocks towering over them. "Follow me."

Together, they leapt high and landed on a cliff ten meters above the foxes. Katashi made the sign of the tiger with his hands while Chikane took out a handful of arrowsat once. She readied them on her bow once Katashi's mouth expanded.

"FIRE STYLE: DRAGON FLAME BOMB!!"

He exhaled a long stream of instense fire that rammed straight into a section of the foxes. Their fur was scorched and life was burned out of the carcasses.

Chikane aimed arrows at the section next to Katashi's. They flew through the flame, which ignited them as they got closer to the foxes. She smirked as the arrows caught the animals in a brush fire, spreading through the entire group.

Katashi discontinued the stream and watched the critters burn to a crisp. Slowly, but surely, they disintegrated to ashes…and the ash itself evaporated into red smoke.

"Good job, Aisu." Chikane patted him on the back. He chuckled with victory, although deep down Katashi felt something else.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you, Miss Himemiya."

"Well, keep up your training," Chikane said sweetly. "Pretty soon, you'll be strong enough to handle it yourself." She jumped off the cliff and landed effortlessly on the ground. As she walked past the death site of the foxes, Chikane no longer paid attention to Katashi's actions.

As she smoothly walked away, he looked lower and chuckled. Katashi admired the way her body was shaped.

'_Hot…like my fire.'_ His mind began to go into deep thought.

* * *

Okay…yeah. Chikane and Himeko are still lesbians, but damn males get in the way. Love becomes a main issue in about five more chapters. Keep reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, here's a random question to fill in the spot: do you know anyone that is COMPLETELY obsessed with an anime or manga? There's this one girl at my school who is completely into _Naruto_ and other animes. She is so "Japanese" she's not even Japanese. She calls herself Tsuki even though her real name is an American name; whenever people call her by her real name, she says she hears voices in her head. (WTF!?) My friends made up an ethnicity for her: Wapanese; it's short for "wanna-be Japanese".

Going back to the main topic, I'm trying my best to get through this fanfic. Once I start something, I'm not satisfied until it's completely finished. So if you don't like it, you can kiss my ass. You're just gonna have to wait. The technique used in here is an original (I think…). So here we go!

**Chapter 6**

In the well-shaped world of Solum, an eternal night sky covered the structured land. But the darkness never bothered Raido.

He scaled the high craggy rocks with his purple orbs, examining the natural form. After making an analysis in his mind, Raido clasped his hands together and made the sign of the ox.

"EARTH STYLE: GROUND REFORMATION!!"

The surface below his feet began to shift, taking on a new form. Everything started to rumble, until a pillar of dirt and rocks shot out with Raido balancing on top.

"Sick!"

The pillar beneath him led to another protruding cliff. Raido jumped towards it, suspending fifty meters above the ground. He stretched out an arm for the cliff, desiring to grab for life.

But gravity was against him. Before he was able to reach it, Raido's body felt heavy; it dropped some inches until he finally began to fall. He plummeted back first, left to stare at the dark night sky.

'_No! Come on, Raido: THINK!!'_

He saw the cliff he tried to hold onto. If only there was a ledge he could cling to…

In a desperate attempt, whether it was imaginary or not, Raido motioned two of his fingers for the cliff to stretch out and make a ledge.

And it did.

Once he motioned his fingers, a horizontal pillar of rock shot out of the cliff below him. Raido pulled midair back flip as he caught the ledge with a single hand. The gravity made it feel like his arm was going to cleanly rip off, but he held on as if he was going to die.

Luckily, he didn't. Raido used all his strength to climb up on the pillar. He gasped for breath as he stretched out his debilitated arm.

'_Damn…I'm already tired.'_ As thoughts raced through his head, Raido remembered Isamu's incident at the beach. Such increase in strength…he had to reach the same amount of growth.

Raido concentrated hard on the energy within him. Slowly but surely, the pillar began to move and rise him to the top. It became easier to breathe as he got closer to the edge, but Raido didn't expect to share oxygen with someone else.

He struggled to climb up and rest. As he finally accomplished his goal, Raido collapsed on all fours and gasped for air.

A sudden shadow loomed over his crouched form and chuckled with a slight purr in his throat.

"You're such a softie…nii-chan."

Raido held his breath as he heard the haunting voice. The images of the past flashed in his head: the "happy" moments, the sudden betrayal, the death of his mother…and his brother's face.

"Nekoro-niisan…" Raido growled under his breath. The man in front of him grew lighter silver hair and inherited the same purple eyes. His canine teeth glimmered through his smirk.

"Foolish brother…it's fate for you to be a shinobi…and I to be a Kyuubi."

The fact jolted Raido's senses and forced him to jump to his feet. He glared at Nekoro with chagrin and raised his fists.

"A Kyuubi!?" Of course, the one person he hated the most would be his enemy. "Perfect…now I can kill you!"

Raido clapped his hands together and made the sign of the monkey. Before he was able to perform an attack, Nekoro chuckled loud enough for his brother to hear. The younger brother froze his strike and pondered. _'What the fuck is he laughing about?'_

"Still trying to be a hero, aren't you?"

His words drilled through Raido. Nekoro said the exact same thing seven years ago…

* * *

"_Raido…g-get out of here!" Her bloody hand reached out to his whimpering form. She couldn't move a single bone in her body as her firstborn walked closer._

"_Raido…run…"_

_The assassin raised the famed Ikazuchi katana, which was forbidden to be of use. Perpendicular to the ground, he prepared to force it through the woman that released him into the world._

_Raido stared in horror at the boy who was once his idol. To think that such a person would turn against his own family…_

"_Nekoro-niisan, DON'T!!"_

_The woman struggled to turn her head and cast sympathetic eyes on Nekoro, although they would never reach him._

"_Nekoro-chan…"  
Before he could be convinced to think twice, he plunged the sword down and killed his mother._

"_NO!!"_

* * *

Raido gritted his teeth at the memory. Their mother tried everything to protect both of them. 

"But she was foolish," Nekoro sneered. He didn't give one ounce of deference to their maternal parent. "To protect someone so weak…it's a fool's game."

In a fury, Raido stepped back and made the sign of the ox again.

"EARTH STYLE: EARTH FLOW RAMPART!!"

The ground beneath them began to crack, shifting and shaping every moment. Raido expected him to flinch or move around, but Nekoro stayed absolutely still, along with the young felines surrounding him.

A sudden hill rose and took Raido up high in elevation, surpassing his brother's height. Looking down, Nekoro's expression didn't change at all.

'_I'm going to change that!'_ Raido jumped down headfirst, aiming for his brother. He held out a hand with bent fingers and large chunks of rock hurled out of the hill.

Nekoro's eyes laid on Raido's foolish attacks. "You'll die, despite what you try."

"Shut up!!" He swung his arm, telepathically throwing the rocks at Nekoro. The soaring boulders closed in on him, waiting to dust his bones.

But before the boulders could even touch him, Nekoro gracefully back flipped to avoid danger. The boulders smothered into the mountaintop, dust and pebbles flying everywhere. A huge crater was left in his place, but he escaped without a scratch.

Raido landed in the crater on his feet, frustrated that he missed his target. He glared at the man who was his brother before lunging at him.

"Damn you!!"

His tantrum was cut short as two white tigers leapt out from behind Nekoro and faced Raido. They bared long sharp fangs, deadly claws, piercing eyes, and rough fur. The growl under their throats made Raido stiffen up.

Nekoro chuckled with triumph. "You got no chance; you're already getting cold feet!" Immediately, the white tigers jumped at Raido, sinking their teeth into his left leg and right shoulder. Blood leaked into their mouths, satisfying their taste. Raido winced at the pain; he felt like poison was pouring into his veins, slowly taking his life.

"Give up, little brother. You can't help anyone, even yourself!"

Raido looked up to the sky and held his breath. A figure with flowing blond hair dropped down from the sun and held a tanto above Nekoro's head.

"Miss Kurusu--!!"

But his brother was one step ahead. Nekoro spun around and slapped away the tanto.

"Solar priestess!!"

Himeko squeaked as he caught her by the neck, almost crushing her windpipe. She was dangled over the cliff, gasping for air while holding onto Nekoro's arm.

"Is this the power of the priestess!? This…"

Nekoro's grip tightened and she released a high pitched scream. Himeko's strength was brought down to a dearth of energy. His irises became slit-like as his anger grew.

"IS NOTHING!!"

She began to believe it was the end until someone rammed his whole body into her adversary. Nekoro rolled to the side; his ribs were bursting with pain.

The tigers released their fangs from Raido and snarled at the young man that held Himeko close. His hazel eyes glared straight back at the felines as Himeko looked up at him.

"Souma!"

His visage stayed fierce. "Himeko, are you all right now?"

She lightly blushed and nodded. "The-Thank you…"

Raido slouched on the ground, trying to stop the bleeding.

'_Souma…the tigers…!!'_

But the felines stood no chance against him. Souma quickly kicked one aside and faced the other one. The tiger pounced on his small stature until he grabbed its front leg and swung around.

"Get away from Himeko!!"

Souma let go of the tiger and swung it directly at the first one. They collided with each other, driving off the edge of the cliff. Their roars echoed through the chasm as they plummeted down to their end.

He tried to catch his breath before turning to the wounded ninja.

"Are you okay, Ikazuchi? Nothing vital?" Raido stood up with some pain, but dealt with it.

"Yeah…I'll be fine." He looked at the place where Nekoro rolled away; his brother was nowhere to be found. Raido felt guilty for not catching him on time.

Souma looked over at Himeko, who tried to fix herself after her hair-raising experience. He viewed her cute figure, his blood began to heat up, wishing for once and only once…Himeko wasn't in love with a woman.

* * *

Later on, I'll go over my models for the four shinobis. Hopefully everything will be clear then. See ya later! 


	7. Chapter 7

Hi! I've got a lot of fanfics planned, but I seriously need all the others out of the way. But then there's school, and my birthday party coming up, and there's so much planning, it's all…AAGGH! _'Keep calm…keep CALM!'_ I'm probably dropping my NejiTen fanfic; I tried so hard to make a good story, but she's so pointless, there's no back story for her. She's just THERE. I'll try hard. After _Primal Forces_ I'll work on finishing _Soul of the Shell_. Here we go!

**Chapter 7**

The peaks of Aetha led to a sheer drop into oblivion. Gray skies covered the high plateau, which was dead center in a large mountain. Not a single part of the surface was craggy or bumpy.

But the geography didn't bother Hikaru. He sighed lazily as he looked up at the tall scaling. Hikaru scoffed and walked away, observing his upcoming task.

'_Okay…wind's picking up, gotta work on my strength.'_

He remembered the encounter with Hebiko back at the shrine: the pursuit, her bloodlust…and his sudden shriek.

'_So much force was released when I opened my mouth…it was like an ultrasonic sound wave.'_

A plan formed in his head as his blue eyes scaled the towering peak. Hikaru inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with fresh air until he dropped his jaw and pierced the silence.

"AAAHH!!"

His voice traveled to the mountaintops, colliding with the structure and causing a rumble. Rocks and boulders shifted out of the cliff. They fell downward at an incredible speed aiming straight at Hikaru.

He concentrated all his energy into his hands, raising them against the nearing terror.

"WIND STYLE: DRILLING AIR BULLET!!"

A sudden chill picked up immediately and blew against the tumbling rocks, creating loud discords. Cracks began to surface on the rocks, until it eventually turned into raining pebbles.

Hikaru still had to deal with the multiple pebbles crashing down on him. He crossed his arms above his head, seemingly trying to protect himself. Feeling power in his arms, Hikaru swung his arms down to his sides, pushing air again at the rocks. They formed an arc above his form and landed from a 7 foot radius from him. Dust flew everywhere, rocks collided with each other, and the violent wind died down.

He stood perfectly still, thinking about what just happened. Wind got involved in all of his actions. Hikaru looked down at his hands, feeling the power surge through his veins. The crass buffoon side of his personality drifted away, earning him a sense of responsibility.

After chuckling about his growth, Hikaru noticed the high pitched squeaking coming over the mounds of rock. His eyes shifted back and forth as small critters dawned on him, glaring with red orbs.

'_Weasels…'_ A lot of weasels, to be more precise. Remembering last encounter, Hikaru assumed the inevitable.

'_A Kyuubi is here.'_

From behind, a dark shadow loomed over his form. Hikaru slowly turned his head; the first thing he noticed was the crimson red eyes before moving on to the long overcoat and pure black hair. It all belonged to a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. His tone was deep once he opened his mouth.

"Amazing show you put for us. Do you believe you're strong enough now?"

Hikaru blankly looked at the man before shrugging him off. "Eh…more or less. What do you want, Kyuubi?"

"At least show some respect. I'm Itachi, the seventh tail."

"And I'm Hikaru, the wind ninja that doesn't give a fuck." He gave a fake smile before trying to walk away. Hikaru believed it best not to fight at the moment.

Itachi learned beforehand that he was dealing with the laziest ninja of all…but he knew Hikaru's dark past. The information was given by the one person the wind ninja resented for all his life.

"He's the fourth tail…"

Haiku stopped in his tracks, realizing who Itachi was referring to.

Itachi smirked, for he knew he struck a nerve,

"Fukaso…your cousin, isn't he? Your dead brother's _**best**_ friend?"

"Get the fuck outta my life!!"

He glared at the smirking Kyuubi. Anger built up in his trembling body. Hikaru tried hard to force back the energy of hatred and anger, but Itachi stayed calm.

"That guy should just go to hell!" Hikaru growled through gritted teeth. "He'll pay for what he did to my older brother."

Itachi's eyebrows rose. "Ah yes…in order to be a Kyuubi, one must kill a family member." He saw the young ninja tremble more than ever. "Do you want to kill him now? To avenge your brother?"

Hikaru thought while staring menacingly at Itachi. Fukaso of the Kasai family was best friends with Hikaru's only brother…until he was murdered solely to gain power.

"…I'll kill him…with my own hands…"

"You were close to your brother…I can understand the bond between siblings…" Itachi gave a devilish grin, one that made Hikaru grimace.

"I was so close to my brother…I was able to rip his throat out."

Hikaru's knees shook before he fell to the ground. He felt terrible, knowing that Fukaso killed his cousin and best friend, but to kill your own brother…

"What…what's the point?? Why must we kill…people who are so close to us!?"

As he grabbed a fistful of rocks, holding back the pain of his brother's death, Itachi turned around. The weasels descended the mounds; their master thought of the answer he found long ago, driving him to go on.

"It's about the power."

The seventh tail left the world of Aetha, leaving Hikaru to deal with his past. He felt like he lost everything after his brother died. The pranks and jokes Hikaru pulled…were to alleviate the pain he felt.

'_This pain will never…NEVER go away…unless I kill him!'_


	8. Chapter 8

I'm back! I got so many fanfics in store, but I juss need to prepare them: make outlines, have a happy ending, blah. I've been in a grumpy mood: my mom and I are arguing about the most needless things. Let's hope it passes by soon. For now, let's finally talk about the character models.

Let's start with the ninja of Earth: Raido Ikazuchi. He had a family when he was little, but the only ones shown were his mother and his older brother, Nekoro. As said in chapter 6, a close family member needs to be killed in order to be in the Kyuubi; it's like the process of getting a Mangekyo Sharingan in _Naruto_. In this case, Nekoro was close to his mother. After her death and his disappearance, Raido became a somewhat justified person: he believes in justice and "human rights" or what not; to protect as much people as he can.

Okay…he's done. So here's Chapter 8!

**Chapter 8**

Equanimity and peace spread through the quiet realm of Aquis. A hazy fog covered the vast lake, bugs floated steadily over the water. Everything was in silence…until Isamu popped his head out of the lake, gasping for breath. His white hair became drenched; his skin received no suntan, thanks to the fog. Isamu tried his best to stay afloat after swimming for two hours straight, fighting against the water's pressure.

'_I wonder how the others are doing…I'm exhausted.'_

He thought about swimming back to the shore, where his dry clothes waited. Every muscle in Isamu's body cried with exhaustion. He had no strength to swim.

'_Too tired…What if I use a wave…'_ It was worth a shot. He made the sign of the rooster again, facing the sign against a small section of the water.

The section of the lake began to bubble from its still state. Liquid began to churn back and forth, causing a ruckus; it wasn't what Isamu had expected.

'_I just wanted a simple calm wave…'_ His eyes grew wider as he noticed a long snout surface, emanating a low harsh growl. The eyes gave a piercing glare, snapping their jaws, desiring to devour Isamu. Crocodiles infested the lakes.

'_Crap!'_

He turned around, struggling to shore with panic blocking his concentration. The crocodiles slowly swam to his frantic form; their bloodlust grew higher and higher every inch they swim.

Isamu's heartbeat began to relax once he saw the shore. As he lightly sighed with relief, the growls behind him grew louder. He gave one final attempt of survival by swinging his arm around, summoning water to throw the crocodiles away.

One minute, they almost devour the water ninja with victory, and the next they are pushed back into the lake, tossing and turning before suffering and drowning into the water. Isamu was left to crawl up to the shore.

He frantically gasped for breath, searching wide-eyed for the crocodiles. Seeing their far distance, Isamu finally sighed with relief.

'_Safe…'_ But he wasn't safe for long. Out of the small brushes surrounding, Gila monsters and bearded dragons hissed and snarled, smelling his crimson scent. Isamu was sure he saw a blood lusting color in their eyes. Their tails slithered back and forth in rhythm.

He was about to jump up and run away until…

"Going somewhere?"

A sly voice escaped the deep shadows. Isamu looked closely as an elder teen, a little older than the priestesses, stepped out of the darkness. Like him, the woman had long white hair, but the ends were a pure black color. Her eyes gave a chilly stare in their ice blue tint, which made Isamu froze.

"Y-You…you're…"

The woman portrayed an expressionless visage. "It's been a while…Isamu Gogyou."

He couldn't believe what he saw. It's been four years since Isamu's family was taken away from him…by his one and only half-sister. His old life was taken away just because his mother left her first husband and daughter.

"Ekika…" He saw the reptiles circle around their master until the truth hit him. "You're a Kyuubi…"

"Correct. I'm the fifth tail. As you can see…" A bearded dragon crawled up her side, digging its claws into her skin to do it. Ekika didn't give a flicker of pain once the dragon rested on her shoulder. "My creatures are reptiles."

Just the sight of her sent shivers up Isamu's spine. He could feel his newfound confidence retreat.

And Ekika could sense it.

"You're weak…as I thought." Isamu looked at her surprised. Deep down, he knew it was somewhat true.

"You're too kind, Isamu; THAT'S your downfall." Ekika began to sneer out of her insipid visage. "It's even a miracle you became a shinobi."

His ankles began to grow weak. Isamu fell on his bottom, avoiding the scaly reptiles. Her words drilled into his mind; why DID he become a shinobi? He was just a shy freshman at Ototachibana Academy; nothing special was within him. He had no strength to take Ekika down.

She turned her back on him with disrespect.

"I'll be seeing you…once you're actually worth fighting."

As Ekika wandered off into the surrounding woods, the young ninja thought desperately.

'_I have to…I need to…I MUST be stronger!!'_

He looked back at the calm waters; the ravenous sharks disappeared from sight. Isamu drifted back and waded in the lake, dampening his legs. As ideas and confidence rose in his mind, water erupted from the lake into a fountain formation.

* * *

Yeah…crappy stuff. But there's only about 10 chapters left, so stay tuned! 


	9. Chapter 9

Hello! My mom and I are still arguing. She got mad at me just because I started washing one load of laundry when I haven't sorted out all other clothes. I'm all like "WTF!!??"

The next one is the ninja of water: Isamu Gogyou. He had a father, a mother, and other relatives. Before he was born, his mother was married to someone else and had a daughter: Ekika. After her mother and father's divorce, she killed Isamu's family for revenge, thus becoming a Kyuubi. In the end, Isamu became a soft weak dude.

I know this is lame and what not, but I'm seeing this through to the end. I wanna finish this before January! But, seeing how many chapters I wrote so far, I think I'll be done by December. Let's go!

**Chapter 9**

The gate for Volca finally opened as Chikane and Katashi emerged after entering to retrieve the ninja of fire. Himeko, Souma, and the other ninjas sighed with relief: the day was finally over.

"We've worked hard…" Souma's face became stern as he spoke. "But we've still got a long way to go."

Himeko looked over to Hikaru and Isamu. "Did anything happen during your training?"

Their faces gave a flicker of uneasiness. Whether to tell them about the secret encounters or not weighed down on their shoulders.

"N-No…" Isamu finally stuttered. "Just regular practices."

Himeko gave some thought, but finally smiled. Souma noticed her innocent countenance and his entire body melted.

'_Wait! No…No, I can't. I mustn't think like this…'_ He looked over at Chikane helping the shinobi. _'…Especially if Himemiya's around.'_

Everyone finally regrouped as the lunar priestess opened the dark portal again. The young ninjas walked through, followed by the priestesses and Souma. The first day of training was complete.

* * *

Himeko rested cozily in Mortalis on the Ohgami porch, staring up at the bright moon. Her life was finally seeming average…to her, at least. It's been four years since they saved the world from the Mighty God Orochi, led by Souma's biological brother.

It's also been four years since she fell in love with-

"Himeko."

Souma Ohgami appeared behind her, at the entrance of his home. He carried two cups of tea on a platter, offering some to the young priestess.

"Thank you, Souma." Himeko smiled again and made him weak. He handed her a cup and sat down next to her, taking the other cup into his own hands.

"Hard day today, huh?" Souma followed her previous gaze into the sky. The moon was still shining down on them in radiant glory.

"Yeah…" Himeko turned towards him with a face of gratitude.

"Thank you for saving me from Nekoro. I'm very grateful."

Souma's face slowly turned red. What still made him feel close to Himeko? He already knew she has feelings for Himemiya…but he still wanted to hold her, he still wanted to protect Himeko. Although she turned him down freshman year, Souma loved her…

"Hime…ko…" He whispered her name in a quiet tone, but the priestess was still able to hear it.

"Is there something on your mind, Souma?"

He was surprised; Souma whispered her name subconsciously. But now that she heard it, there was no turning back. His feelings had to be released somehow.

Souma kept his head down as he turned to Himeko. "Himeko…there's something I…ever since high school, I…" His words couldn't reach her. Even if he did confess what he felt, there was no slight chance it would reach Himeko.

'_Why…why do I feel like this!?' _As he struggled to talk, Souma overheard a deep rustling in the bushes next to the house. His thoughts of confession went away as he turned around. Himeko followed his gaze and they both stared into the darkness.

The leaves rustled as small furry critters crawled out on all fours. Black bands circled around their eyes that glowed by the moonlight. The fur around their bodies tufted as they hissed through their elongated snouts. The long nails scraped on the ground, carelessly filing the sharp tips. More black bands covered their furry tails, revealing them to be the nocturnal raccoons.

"So many of them…" Himeko examined. She thought of getting the tanto to aid Souma in combat. But before she could summon it, he stopped her and smiled firmly.

"Don't worry. I'll handle this."

Souma wasn't able to handle it for long once a pair of strong arms wrapped around Himeko and pulled her away. She squealed in fright as he watched her get captured. "Himeko!!"

Himeko and her captor leapt up high backwards, landing on top of the Ohgami household. She looked behind and saw dull blue eyes; the pupils were nowhere to be seen. Sky blue rings circled around his eyes like a raccoon. His hair was split into two colors: one side was black while the other was white.

"Nice to meet you, solar priestess." He chuckled while looking at her quivering appearance. "I'm Niro, the second tail."

Souma tried to reach their level, but the carnivorous raccoons rushed up to him. Their claws sank into his skin, piercing the flesh and muscle, forcing him to fall. The blood tainted their nails and dripped down to the ground as Souma struggled to be released from their grasp.

'_Fuck! Himeko!!'_

"FIRE STYLE: PHOENIX IMMORTAL FIRE!!"

Multiple fireballs engulfed the raccoons as they jumped off Souma's body. Katashi simmered down the flames from his mouth as Chikane and the ninjas came to his aid. The lunar priestess looked up at the roof and saw Himeko's situation.

"Himeko!"

Raido faced the snarling raccoons with no hint of fear. He clapped his hands together and made the sign of the ox.

"EARTH STYLE: DARK SWAMP!!"

The raccoons closed in with a deep hunger until their feet felt slimy and slippery, unable to move against the solid ground. They looked down and saw that the sturdy surface they stood on tuned into a sinking swampland, making it impossible to even lift a finger.

The sinking mud surrounded the raccoons, drowning them in front of the shinobis. Although they squirmed for life, their adversaries showed no mercy.

Isamu rushed over to Chikane's side and looked up at Niro with fiery green eyes.

"May I?"

"Please do," Chikane insisted. He used his hands to build up energy within him, making certain hand signs: ox, snake, horse tiger…and then rooster.

"WATER STYLE: WATER SHARK BOMB!!"

Taking water molecules from the swamp, Isamu formed a long figure in the form of a shark. Everyone could hear the shark's low growl, despite only being made of liquid.

He directed it at Niro and Himeko in an unstoppable force.

"Damn kid!" Niro dropped the solar priestess as he endured the rushing water, getting soaked from head to toe. His body slammed against a tall tree, knocking him unconscious. Surrounding raccoons concealed his bodies in a fury, making his body disappear and travel to the Kyuubi hideout.

Himeko imagined her impact on the faraway ground, losing her life in an instant. She shut her eyes tight and awaited a miracle to happen.

As Chikane rushed to her aid, she saw a form jump ahead and catch the blond maiden in his arms. She stopped dead in her tracks as Souma landed gracefully three feet away from her, holding Himeko tight.

'_Ohgami…'_ Chikane stood watching them as Katashi began to stride up to her.

"Hey, Miss Himemiya. Did you see how I burned those critters to a crisp? It was no problem at all…" She omitted his outlandish boasting and noticed Souma's trance of Himeko. It made Chikane think of ancient beliefs…dangerous beliefs that led to heavy results.

* * *

They're still lesbians here! I'll prove it in the next chapter. We're in the second part of the fanfic. Stay tuned! 


	10. Chapter 10

Everything is smoothly sailing…except for my low grade in History!! Damn…I get all HW right, but my quiz grades suck ass. And so, life goes on…

Now, let's talk about the knuckleheaded ninja, Hikaru Kasai. He had an older brother (nameless, by the way) who was best friends with one of his first cousins, Fukaso. The cousin killed Hikaru's brother in order to join the Kyuubi. His brother was depicted as a lighthearted person, so Hikaru adapted too much of that trait and became a prankster.

I'm almost done in the rough draft! Let's go!!

**Chapter 10**

It's been a week since their sudden encounter with the Kyuubi's second tail, Niro. Six down, three to go. But something else seemed to bother Chikane…and Himeko became worried.

The lunar priestess sat casually on the windowsill in one of the rooms. Another free day with no practices or fights; just a day of relaxation. She looked at the empty yard; the boys were busy at Ototachibana Academy as Souma had to teach at Phys Ed. The only ones at the house were herself and Himeko.

At that moment, the said priestess popped her head into the room with a content visage.

"Good morning, Chikane. What do you want to do today?"

She didn't respond to her question. Himeko waited before she walked in, aware of Chikane's silence.

"Chikane?"

She turned her head towards Himeko, looking at her with shining blue eyes.

"Himeko…do you love me?"

Himeko's expression was blank…until horrid memories flowed back into her head. The last time Chikane asked that question was on that rainy evening, the cataclysmic night that both she and Souma tried hard to push away.

Why did she suddenly ask that question again? Was history…about to repeat itself?

Himeko didn't want to relive that night. Chikane stood up and walked towards her, eager to get closer. Denying her thoughts, the solar priestess immediately approved.

"Yes! I do love you, Chikane! I love you more than anything!"

Chikane stopped her advance as Himeko closed her eyes shut. She hoped her confession would stop the temptations of the lunar priestess. Himeko revealed her orbs once she heard an audible sigh. She looked over at Chikane and saw an elegant smile.

"Thank you, Himeko. You mean so much to me."

Chikane rushed up and wrapped her arms around Himeko. The solar priestess inwardly sighed with relief as they embraced: her fear subsided…for now.

* * *

The buzzer rung loudly as Souma waited impatiently at the call box. Guards stood quietly all around him, giving the boy shivers every passing moment. It's been a while since he visited Mahoroba Prison.

His adoptive brother, Kazuki Ohgami, told him stories about the dark past, but failed to actually introduce Souma to the real blood relative. His real father was killed during an act of self-defense, making _**him**_ go to juvenile delinquency. But at long last, or at least what he remembers, Souma was able to meet him.

But would he remember the alternate reality…when he was the first neck of the Orochi?

The cell doors finally opened and revealed a bishōnen in his mid-20s. He had long teal hair, flowing elegantly to his knees. The crimson red eyes looked upon Souma, and a grin spread across his face.

'_My older brother…Tsubasa.'_

He sat across from Souma on the other side of the glass, unable to reach his younger brother. Together, they reached for the phones and placed them on the ear, waiting for the other to talk.

"It's been a while…Souma."

"Tsubasa…big brother…I've been wanting to ask you something."

Tsuabasa's eybrows lifted with interest. Why would the brother of a murderer want to visit him, of all reasons? It was only recently that their relationship started to take a turn.

He reached for a cigarette and lighter; the guards were aware and allowed his addiction. As Tsubasa took a smoke, a little chuckle was heard through the receiver.

"How are the priestesses?"

Souma gaped widely. Tsubasa knew about Chikane and Himeko all along! So, did he remember the time when they fought…?

"Big brother…"

Tsubasa was glad his younger brother found out. "Yes, Souma…I knew it all along…what really happened." He leaned back in his chair, rocking back and forth. "So…is that why you're here: to see if I remembered?"

The younger brother looked down and nodded. "I'm sorry…if you still hate me about what happened." Tsubasa was his enemy. He went against his own organization. If he remembered those dark days…who knows how he'll treat Souma?

But Ohgami heard a small chuckle through the receiver. He glanced questioningly through the glass and saw Tsubasa trying to stifle a calm laughter. For once, his brother didn't look like a dangerous criminal.

"Big brother…? Tsubasa…?"

Crimson eyes looked upon hazel ones. They held sympathy and care, despite his past heinous deeds.

"That's all in the past. What's done is done." Souma could have sworn he saw a tiny speck of an innocent grin.

"Souma…I could never hate you. I killed to protect you, my little brother." He set the chair straight and leaned over the desk.

"I'm glad you visited. It's been hard…to think what I've done scarred you. It means a lot you came. Thanks."

Souma wanted to say more but another buzzer rang, signifying the end of visitng hours. Just as he was about to hang up the receiver…

"Souma…"

He saw his brother's lips move and quickly returned the receiver to his ear. Who knows when he was going to visit again?

"Remember my sword?"

Souma nodded.

"I left it with Kazuki Ohgami before I was arrested. Whenever time gets rough…use it."

Tsubasa trusted his younger brother to do what's right. There was something in their bond that Kazuki couldn't even cheaply imitate. Although they were seperated during their childhood, Souma could never replace him.

They were finally forced to hang up and Souma walked out of the building. He dove deep into his thoughts, seeking a way to help his brother.

Brothers untied in blood. They'll be together…eventually.

* * *

Yay! After this story, it's on to _Family Love!_


	11. Chapter 11

Hey there! There is a very special day soon…my birthday!! I wish for…money!! A lot of it!! But I know it can only happen in my dreams. For now, let's continue on.

Katashi Aisu…his personality is somewhat a rip from Aoshi Shinomori in _Rurouni Kenshin_. But then he has a little wild side to him: a crush on Chikane. **(They're STILL lesbians!)** He belonged to a very rich family: the Aisu Clan (**I'll use this name again in the future for another fanfic…**). His story is kinda ironic because his last name and personality are like ice ("aisu" is "ice" in Japanese), yet he is the ninja of fire. I thought of that and I was all like "Heh…cool". Anyway, his family was killed by a very distant family member; he and that person are the only members of the Aisu Clan still alive. The person will come up very soon.

Yay, chocolates!!

**Chapter 11**

The boys came back from the Academy the following day, preparing to train. They dressed up in their color coordinated shinobi uniforms: Katashi with gold, Raido in green, Hikaru in purple, and Isamu in blue. Chikane met them outside as Himeko prepared inside the shrine.

And Souma followed her.

* * *

She finished praying to the gods as a sliding door quietly closed behind her. Himeko turned her head and found Souma Ohgami alone. For a moment, she had a feeling of uneasiness but greeted him politely. 

"Hey, Souma. Ready to go?"

He didn't respond. Souma walked up to her, hanging his head low. His frying thoughts debated whether or not it was right to do it.

'_Himemiya's not around…I __gotta__ get it out of my system. I'm sorry…'_

Souma directed his fierce hazel orbs at Himeko, who lightly gasped. She remembered seeing those eyes back then, when he asked her an important question…

"I love you, Himeko! I haven't stopped thinking about you since first year! These feelings I've had…didn't go away!!"

Himeko froze in shock. She believed Souma forgot his feelings for her back at the Academy…but she guessed wrong. "Souma…all these years, you…kept thinking about me…?"

His face turned red, unable to hold back his feelings. It was too late to take back anything, too late to apologize.

Souma's mind controlled his body against his will. He rushed up to Himeko and crushed his lips onto hers, becoming the dominant power. She couldn't move anywhere; Souma held her in place, capturing her mouth. His hands ran down Himeko's back, touching her at unnecessary places. The tongue wrestled with the locked lips for entrance, winning in the end. She tried to jerk her head away, but he wouldn't let go.

_'Chikane!'_

* * *

As the ninjas began passing through the dark portal, the lunar priestess looked around for Souma and Himeko. 

'_They're not here yet.'_

Chikane's wandering eyes noticed a lone badger emerging from the forest. Dark rings covered its small eyes, lying on top of white fur. Its long nails dug into the ground, collecting dirt underneath as it walked over towards the shrine.

'_A Kyuubi!? Himeko!'_

She sped over to the shrine's entrance, hoping to protect the solar priestess from harm. The badger slipped in through the doors as Chikane reached out to open it.

But as she got closer, the lunar priestess caught some movement in the building. She slowed her pace, placing a hand on the door silently. Chikane moved her head to the small opening and peered in, falling upon a grievous sight.

Their eyes were closed as the cheeks turned into a deep red coating. Himeko lightly whimpered as Souma held her close. He softly groaned as he finally experienced the taste of her lips and charms. As they continued their extremely close encounter, Chikane's heart began to fall, shattering to millions of shards.

She backed away from the door, making the least noise as possible. Turning around, Chikane sprinted to the portal; her mind jumped back and forth from anger to despair, tiring her body.

'_How!? WHY!? She and Souma…it doesn't make sense!!'_

Chikane passed through the portal, shedding tears of hate and anguish.

* * *

The other pipsqueaks went to their realms as Katashi loitered around the entrance to Volca. He didn't give a single care about his training; he was strong enough to handle things…or so he believed. 

Katashi began to think of the lunar priestess again. Her stern expressions, the perfect sized breasts; for some reason, he wanted it all. Ever since his family was killed…by his distant cousin…Katashi felt alone from childhood to teenage years. His crush for Chikane was his first sense of care or love after so long.

But he wondered if he was doing it right.

At that moment, a dark portal appeared beside him and Chikane Himemiya stepped through into the Nexus. Her form seemed limp, her cheeks streamed with salty tears, and her eyes were a pink hue.

"Miss Himemiya?"

She turned to her side and found Katashi Aisu looking upon her with concern. "Aisu…" Her voice was stifling. "You're supposed to be training."

"I was about to go…" Katashi lied. "Is there something I could help with?"

Chikane lightly shook her head, unaware that he slowly crept closer, breathing down her neck. All she could think of was her stumble upon Souma and Himeko's kiss. The lunar priestess began to twist her mind and thoughts, her beliefs and ideas wiped away.

The choking on tears began to subside. She faced Katashi, wiping away the water from her visage. The ninja adored her baby doll appearance; he wanted to take advantage of it.

"Aisu…" He cupped her chin with his thumb and index finger, drawing her face closer to his. The blue eyes entranced his; he snaked his other hand to her waist. Katashi didn't know what drew him to her, but he couldn't get out. Although he was aware of it, he never wondered why Chikane allowed him to kiss her…

Katashi got the answer the instant she slapped across his face. Chikane's palm excreted stinging pain on his cheek; it turned into a deep red color. He was lucky she didn't scratch him with her sharp nails.

"Get your fucking lips outta my face!!"

Chikane stormed away, cursing the existence of men under her breath. She tightly clenched her fist, digging her nails into her palm to pour out blood.

'_Himeko…'_

As she abandoned him, Katashi lightly rubbed his cheek, thinking of what he just tried to do. The desperate loneliness drove him to sexually harass Himemiya. He felt like the worst guy on the planet, wishing to go back in time…and save his family.

'_Why did I turn out this way? She's already got Miss Kurusugawa…'_ He became lightly confused about the sexual orientation of the priestesses. Two maidens so beautiful…it sure took him by surprise.

Hanging his head, Katashi slowly walked into Volca, unaware of the sly foxes following his every move.

* * *

Next chapter's the Yuri content!! Don't forget to read _Winter and Spring_ from Himeko-KeykaMiyafuji!! 


	12. Chapter 12

Hey, y'all! My birthday was last Thursday and I got I got over $300 worth of gifts. I bought the uncut box set of Naruto, and I was like "OMFG!!". But yeah; 'twas awesome.

I'm struggling to finish the story. I know it sucks, but bear with it. Now that I'm done describing the ninjas, I'll now describe the members of the Kyuubi that have been revealed so far.

ebiko: the ninth and last tail; her image was ripped from Orochimaru in _Naruto_, but in girl form. Her animal is the snake. In order for her to be in the Kyuubi, she had to kill her unborn child who was still in the womb. This lead to her anger and hatred against kids.

Mujina: the eighth tail; had no real image for her. Just stuck her in. Her animals in the Kyuubi are badgers. She killed her dad in order to join.

Itachi: the seventh tail; as his name implied, he controls weasels. He killed his younger brother in order to join Kyuubi. This sort of contradicts with the Itachi in _Naruto_, where he killed everyone else EXCEPT his brother, Sasuke. Their images are alike.

Ekika: the fifth tail; she controls reptiles and such. Her mother is Isamu's mother, but they have different fathers. She killed the entire side of her mother's family to be in the Kyuubi. I just depicted her as an insipid, boring girl.

Fukaso: the fourth tail; I kinda went along with what was in my head when I tried to find an image. He's Hikaru's cousin; killed Hikaru's brother to join Kyuubi. He controls sharks.

Nekoro: the third tail. He's Raido's older brother and killed their mother in order to be in the Kyuubi. As his name implied, he controls felines or cats. He's a little outgoing and likes to taunt his little brother.

Niro: the second tail. His image for the eyes was ripped from Gaara in _Naruto_, but his hair was from Hatsuharu in _Fruits Basket_. He controls raccoons and killed both of his parents to do so.

Wow, that was a long introduction, so let's just start!

**Chapter 12**

Himeko rushed through the dark portal and entered the Nexus in a melancholy aura. She wiped the microscopic tears from her purple eyes and stifled her choking. Looking down at her twitching hand, she clenched it tightly to forget the hard incident.

'_I have to see Chikane…'_

She gulped before starting out for a separate room from the realms, where Chikane waited.

* * *

The lunar priestess looked above her head, observing the intricate and smooth painting on the dome ceiling. A bright yellow sun was captured in a circle with a shining moon, creating a sort of yin yang symbol. Nothing was expressed on her indifferent visage as the room's door creaked open. A blond girl's head popped in and noticed Chikane's loneliness. 

"Chikane…?" Himeko brought her full body into the room. Chikane didn't move a muscle as she slowly walked closer. "Are all the boys practicing?"

Again, she didn't respond.

"…Are you busy, Chikane?"

Her head slowly turned and laid blue eyes on the solar priestess. Although they seemed indifferent, the orbs harbored something hidden within them.

"Himeko…do you love me?"

Himeko was lightly surprised by the question and thought. Last time she asked that question, everything turned out safe and unharmed. She supposed Chikane began to lose trust, and therefore lightly smiled with a small chuckle.

"Of course I love you, Chikane."

But her visage remained dull. Chikane approached her in an awkward way… an ominous way. The deep emotion in her eyes began to surface: anger. Himeko's smile faded away and backed up to the wall, next to the door. She wanted to flee…but she couldn't direct her feet.

"Ch…Chikane…?"

"I saw you with Ohgami back at the shrine."

Himeko's eyes snapped wide open. Her voice quivered, unable to speak or explain. The guilt added a significant amount of weight on her shoulders. "N-No! Chikane…I…"

But the lunar priestess slammed her palms on the wall on both sides of Himeko, trapping her. Her teeth began to grit; her nails scratched in a high pitch.

"I thought we were okay…There wasn't anything wrong with us together…I loved you, but you don't love me!?"

"Chikane, listen to me--!!"

Chikane brought back her right fist and smashed it against the wall, causing Himeko to scream. Her eyes pierced the hope of the solar priestess and forced her to lose all confidence.

"I thought you were the one that understood me the most! Aren't you the one who sees me more than just the lunar priestess!?"

By then, Himeko sunk to the ground. One incident that wasn't her fault strained her relationship with Chikane.

But what made it worse was that she blamed herself. She couldn't break away from Souma…she wasn't strong enough.

"…Souma was too close…I didn't want to be there, but I was…"

Chikane ebbed down her ferocity, slowly absorbing her words.

"He still loved me…I just wanted to be friends…" Her puffy purple orbs jerked up at Chikane, begging for forgiveness.

"But I denied him, Chikane! I still love you no matter what!!"

Chikane's expression turned dumbfounded. Himeko cried as she remembered her time with Souma…

* * *

'_Chikane!'_

_Himeko raised her hand up high, lips still locked with Souma's. It shook with fright, denying harming him in any way._

_But then she remembered Chikane…and how she would feel._

_She still loved Chikane._

_In an instant, she brought down her hand and slapped Souma across the face. The contact with his cheek rung loudly through his ears. The spot grew intensely red. His mouth softened the blow, but it still throbbed with pain._

_He stumbled back, holding his cheek while Himeko gasped for breath._

"_Himeko…"_

_Her face began to scrunch up, keeping back the tears._

"_Himeko…I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" He clenched his fist to hide his stupidity._

"_Souma…" They looked at each other with sorrowful eyes._

"_I understand where your feelings are coming from…but I love Chikane, and I can't do this behind her back!"_

_Himeko whimpered before running past him, exiting the shrine and rushing through the Nexus portal._

_He was in total shock before looking down at his trembling hands. The same words kept going through Souma's head over and over again._

'_I hurt her…I hurt her…I hurt HIMEKO!!'_

_Souma couldn't bear to even look at himself. All at once, he slammed his fists on the ground, disgusted by his wretched mind. He felt like he completely lost Himeko's trust shunned by everyone around him._

_But although he committed such a terrible act, Souma had a self-duty to fulfill._

'_I have to help them…no matter what!'_

_He got to his feet, fighting courage against self-loathing within. Souma looked at a small cabinet next to the god's statue._

'_Big brother Tsubasa...lend me your strength!!'_

* * *

Chikane could feel the salty tears form in her eyes. Her selfishness got the best of her, controlling her to stand up against Himeko…and she hated it. 

As Himeko continued to stifle her tears, the lunar priestess fell back and sat on the ground, shaking with fear.

"Himeko…Himeko…" She closed her eyes and let the tears roll down her red cheeks. Chikane's voice began to squeak, weeping as she was on the verge to be hated.

"Dammit! Himeko, I'm sorry!! I'm so sorry!!! DON'T HATE ME!!"

Chikane bawled on the floor, releasing her anguish. One major love crisis was enough, but to mess up again…Himeko was going to leave her for sure.

As she began to calm down she noticed Himeko rise up and come closer to her. Chikane wanted to move away, preventing to hurt Himeko anymore, but she had nowhere to go.

"Himeko…just leave me. I'm not worthy of you. I don't DESERVE you. Everything about you should just belong to someone else. All I give is pain…Just hate me, Himeko!!"

The passion, the desire grew within her and she couldn't stop it. That was what Chikane hated about herself: she couldn't stop loving Himeko.

And Himeko couldn't stop loving Chikane.

All at once, the solar priestess held the face of the lunar priestess close to hers. They could feel each other's breaths; Chikane could observe the blushing crimson cheeks, covered by smooth delicate skin. The sparkling purple orbs looked down hypnotically at her.

And the moist lips circled hers as Himeko brought their faces together. Chikane could feel the warmth of her skin; the taste of her saliva was lavishing. She pulled Himeko closer as their breasts massaged each other, bringing more comfort. Himeko stroked the soft blue hair to give a sense of adoration.

"I could never hate you, Chikane," the solar priestess finally exasperated. "We were meant for each other: the moon is only able to shine _**because**_ of the sun." Himeko brought Chikane's head close to her chest, allowing her to listen to the pounding heartbeat.

"I love you, Chikane."

She swore she could feel the tears drenching her eye sockets. Chikane loved her too much. Whether Himeko hated or loved her, the lunar priestess didn't want to let her go.

Chikane leaned in closer to capture her lips again. But as they were about to reconnect, electrical surges thrashed just outside the room, within the hallway. They eyes shot out the door with fright.

Growls, screeches, hisses, and roars echoed in the separate room. The odd gathering forced the priestess to think.

"The Kyuubi!!" Himeko exclaimed as she rose to her feet. Chikane regained strength after their emotional controversy. She got up and went to Himeko's side.

"Let's go! The others might be in trouble!!"

They ran out the room, hoping to help the shinobis and save the world again.

* * *

Yeah…they kissed. Now it's the final battle. It might take some time, but I'll finish it. See ya! 


	13. Chapter 13

Hey there! I got nothing to say here, really. Thanks for getting this far. I know it sux like crap, but whatever. Let's just go on with the story. The final battle is here!

**Chapter 13**

Molten lava spewed from the craters of Volca. Heat intensified as Katashi dashed through a mountain crevice, escaping his pursuers. He glanced back and saw the snarling canines, longing to tear apart his flesh. There was a bloodlust in the eyes of foxes and wolves, bearing no sign of domestication.

All at once, Katashi spun around and made the sign of the tiger.

"FIRE STYLE: GREAT FIREBALL!!"

A large fireball was exhaled from his mouth, bigger than his torso. The scorching flames rushed towards the canines, waiting to burn them to dirty carcasses.

But they used their agility to jump away from harm, avoiding imminent death. The canines reached high ledges with their hind legs and landed on the towering cliffs, only to snarl down at Katashi.

He sneered at them with veening eyes. Their sinister glances dissipated as they revolved around two sudden figures.

"Be honored, boy. You get to meet the first and sixth tail of the Kyuubi."

The enemy next to the speaker only raised a hand to silence her partner.

"Inuka…back down…" Katashi looked at Inuka's partner and froze in place. The first tail grew snow white hair that she held in place with a clip. A handful of locks wrapped in a cylinder hairpiece, next to a barrette with three white feathers. She looked down at Katashi with golden orbs, contrasted with her navy blue Japanese dress. Her navy blue arm warmers were covered with white and purple cloths. Her insipid expression was the antithesis of Katashi's shocked visage.

"Kitsuna…" he muttered. After 5 years, his misery came to full circle. Katashi faced the first tail, his cousin…the murderer of the entire Aisu Clan.

"Katashi…" She jumped and gently landed to his level, facing him with a sly grin. "You've grown so big. Are you eating well? You know the heir of the Aisu Clan must be healthy."

He tried to land a sideways blow in a fury. But his cousin easily dodged it and gave an elbow jab to his face, sending him backwards. He flew a couple of feet before knocking to the ground with an uncomfortable landing.

Inuka snickered through obscenely sharp teeth. She covered her mouth with a hand with nails like knives, slashing through anything with ease. Beneath her long purple hair, abnormal pointy ears obviously stood out. Her black arm warmers covered her middle and ring fingers, going all the way up to her triceps.

"You're no match for the first tail!"

Kitsuna turned around and glared at her straight in the eye. Inuka's sneering attitude quickly receded as she shivered from the piercing orbs.

"Instead of mouthing off, why don't you fucking attack him!?"

Inuka nervously nodded. She placed two fingers in her mouth and released a high pitch whistle, earning the wolves' attention.

"Get the brat!!" She pointed towards Katashi with a sharp finger. The snarling wolves bared their fangs at Katashi, making him lightly quiver.

'_Shit!'_ He cursed inaudibly. _'I'm dead meat!'_

Katashi wheeled around and darted away, leaving his relative in his wake. The canines growled and barked as they chased after him, mouths foaming as if they were rabid.

He was chased out of the crevice and left in the entrance of Volca. The pursuers were not far behind. Catching a quick breath, Katashi clapped his hands together and made the sign of the tiger.

"FIRE STYLE…"

As his mouth expanded, the wolves were finally within sight from the shadows. His rage and fight for survival supported his power as Katashi finally released it.

"DRAGON FIRE!!"

The flames sot out of his lungs and ran like a stream into the crevice. The canines had nowhere to run, nowhere to escape. The long line of fire consumed each and every one of the wolves, making them fall like dominos.

Katashi imagined a bonfire before him, omitting the howls and cries that came from it. Before he turned around to try and re-gather energy, shadows reappeared from behind the fire. His hazel orbs grew as Inuka and vengeful foxes leapt above the flames and stretched out to him.

"AISU!! I'll whip your ass to hell!!" Katashi could see the fury in her eyes. "I don't care if you _**are**_ from Kitsuna's clan! My relationship to my baby sister didn't stop me from killing her!!"

He felt disgusted at her confession. Katashi had no siblings, but he surely wouldn't hurt them if they were infants.

All at once, Inuka and the foxes thrashed at him, knocking the fire ninja to the ground. The collision to his head jumbled his insides and caused a mental confusion. But one thing still ran through his throbbing skull.

'_I gotta get rid of them.'_

Little drips of blood slid down Inuka's cheeks as she panted and gasped for breath. She stood up, watching the foxes "devour" him.

"Told you you're no match…not even for me!"

As she evilly chuckled with triumph, the foxes continued ravaging until Inuka noticed something different about their target.

Smoke and ashes fumed from beneath them. Sparks began to fly, heat began to rise, and the foxes began to howl in pain.

"What is it!?" Inuka yelled, despite the fact she wasn't their master. "Where is he!?"

"FIRE STYLE…"

The fur of the canines began to sizzle, burning into their skin. Their bodies were engulfed in flames as more clouds of superheated ash surrounded the group and caused third-degree burns.

Inuka felt the heat reach her face, burning her appearance. She tried to wave her arms around and blow away the ash, but it remained in the air around her. The heat boiled Inuka's blood; she couldn't stand it.

Frantically, she brought her hands to her cheeks and felt—

'_Charcoal.'_

"ASH PRODUCT BURNING!!"

Inuka brought her shaking hands in front of her and saw the epidermis turn pure black. The surface was crusty and peeling, on the verge of breaking down. Inuka could barely breathe; her lungs crumbled away as her body fluid ignited.

Flames escaped through her torso and engulfed her entire figure. Inuka's hair and dog ears sizzled to a crisp; her eyes burst into flames and her entire body quickly reduced to ashes.

And the same thing happened to the foxes.

They howled and yelped in agony, jumping off Katashi's limp form. The burning canines ran off back into the crevice. But it didn't stop their furs fade away, their skin molted off, and all that was left were their skeletal structure, which fell down in a heap.

Katashi achingly got to his feet, staring at the work of his fire. His face and uniform were drenched in blood; scars a bite marks appeared everywhere. He felt like his muscles and body were torn apart, but his condition didn't bother him that much. All that ran through his mind was:

'_I did it.'_

He looked around and found the gate back to the Nexus, releasing a sigh of relief.

'_Safe.'_

He lightly jogged back, aware that his body painfully reacted every time Katashi moved.

But a sudden instinct made him wheel around and stare as Kitsuna came up and slashed at his face with a deadly claw.

* * *

His hands felt numb from climbing so high a mountain, but Raido kept going for his life as he saw lions and cougars pounce up the ledges.

"Damn!!"

Raido continued his climb and reached for rock after rock, gripping tight with all his strength. The closer he got to the top, the even more closely the felines got to chomping him to bits.

It was all too sudden. After thirty minutes into his training, Raido was attacked, caught by surprise. He did all he could to be safe from harm, escaping the felines' clutches, but now he was exhausted.

With every chance he got, the earth ninja tried to reform the mountain structure and block their paths.

But the pursuers found new ways to reach him every time. The frustration got to Raido as he growled under his throat.

'_That's it!!'_

In all his anger and exhaustion, Raido threw himself up to the ledge and dangled with only one hand. The shock went through his body, but he didn't care. Raido could hear the temperamental growls of the felines below. Wasting no time, he forced himself up on the ledge and climbed onto the high plateau.

Pain and fatigue wracked his body every heartbeat. Raido took deep breaths while wobbling on all fours, regaining composure and balance.

"Wow. That took a lot outta you."

The purple eyes blazed with fury as he raised his head and looked upon a towering figure. He hated the man standing before him more than the Kyuubi itself. The color of his light silver hair made Raido's eyes twitch with resentment. The fact they had the same eye color made the ninja hate himself.

"Nekoro…"

His brother waited for an honorific, but none was heard. In a sudden rage, Nekoro pulled Raido to his feet and snarled, "You're supposed to show some RESPECT!!" He punched the ninja square in the jaw, spinning him in circles.

"You…you gave no speck of deference or acknowledgement for our mother!!" He regained his senses and threw a punch at Nekoro. But the older sibling easily caught his wrist and whirled him around before giving a knee jab to his spine.

"She was a worthless piece of trash…whose only purpose was to bring _**me**_ into this world. You…are not needed."

Raido built up more anger and hate; his power emanated and brought multiple stones in a midair hover. He began pelting them at Nekoro, giving it to him every second.

But the third tail dodged everything thrown at him. Not a single scratch came to his form. Nekoro smirked as the ninja growled in frustration.

Raido was about to build up energy again until a lion and cougar finally caught up with them, landing next to Nekoro. Together, they slowly circled around the plateau, waiting for the other side to strike. He could hear their ferocious growls; their eyes ravaged Raido's form, longing to tear off a limb or two. The ninja waited for the right moment to strike, wondering which blow would land first.

The felines concocted a plan…a plan to bring him down. Finally initiating it, the cougar pounced up and aimed for Raido. With claws like talons, it reached out for him, to tear him to shreds. Bloodlust came to the cougar's eyes as it drew closer to Raido.

But he merely shifted sideways, allowing the cougar to fall down the echoing chasm. Its roar bounced off the mountainside and bellowed in their ears.

The ninja regained his balance and faced the vengeful lion. Nekoro glared wildly, waiting to tear him to nibbles.

"KILL HIM!!"

The lion bared his fangs and pounced at Raido. This new adversary was heavier than the cougar; he backed away, closer to the edge. As it lowered down on him, Raido bent down and fell off the cliff, taking the lion with him into the chasm.

He felt the gravitational pull weighing him and the lion down. Raido didn't want to die yet, not now. Nekoro was still alive, the person that murdered his own mother in cold blood.

'_If he continues to live, no one can protect his targets. No one will help them…find happiness!!'_

Stretching out an arm, he prayed to the gods for survival. Despite Raido's lack of power, a small ledge from the side began to form.

* * *

Nekoro chuckled with delight as he backed away from the ledge, finding the exit to the Nexus.

'_Weaklings don't belong in the world of existence. Just like Mom…worthless piece of—'_

He felt pebbles vibrate at his feet. Liquids inside him rumbled with the ground; Nekoro kept his balance, but curiosity got to him.

'_What the fuck!? An earthquake!?'_

"EARTH STYLE…"

He gasped at the sound of the voice. He looked all around himself: above, in front, and behind. But there was no sign of the voice's origin. Nekoro thought deeply…until a strong hand shot up from the plateau and grabbed hold of his ankle. He growled from shock as he wrestled to let his ankle free.

But Nekoro had no avail. The hand pulled his whole body into the ground, getting caught by rocks and dry dirt. He could feel the burn go all the way up to his shoulders.

"HEADHUNTER DECAPITATION!!"

The Kyuubi found himself shoulder length within the ground, unable to free his body. Not too far, Raido climbed up on the plateau, breathing heavily. He stared down at his brother with exhausted eyes.

"You're wrong…asshole…" Raido took a big gulp and clenched his fists. "I **AM** needed…by everyone that's helpless. **YOU**…are not needed…to maintain balance in the world."

He staggered back, turning around and leaving his brother alone. Clapping his hands together, Raido made the sign of the ox and built up an enormous amount of energy.

"EARTH STYLE: MAUSOLEUM DUMPLING!!"

Nekoro could feel the mountain tremble, shaking in fear. He saw dust jump up from the surface; pebbles and rocks shifted. Raido struggled with the gravitational pull, but managed to wedge out a life-threatening boulder from the craggy scaling. Its monstrous size was about a sumo wrestler's weight…but quintupled.

Raido slowly turned to his brother, levitating the boulder with his power. Sweat dripped down his face as he tried hard not to drop down on himself.

His brother watched with agitated eyes. All this time, Nekoro thought the young ninja had no strength, no worth in the world of existence.

But despite his ideas, Raido shook his head.

"You're wrong about me."

Nekoro stared in terror as Raido flung the boulder forward at him. He could feel the tremendous weight within his "decapitated" head. One last thought ran through his mind.

'_Oh…shit.'_

Raido watched boldly as his weapon crushed his only brother's head, splattering brains all over the plateau.

It was all over: Nekoro was dead.

'_Mother…I'm sorry.'_

He knew somewhere it was wrong to murder his brother in cold blood. Raido was left alone, allowed to live with distant relatives.

'_But I had to…to save everyone: the other ninjas, the priestesses, Souma…the entire world.'_

Raido walked over to the edge of the cliff. Looking down below, he saw the wild scattering of debris left behind from his battle with the felines. He carefully crawled down the deadly scaling, abandoning the revelation point with his brother.

* * *

Yeah…this is one of the long chapters. I think there's about four more until I'm done. Stay tuned! 


	14. Chapter 14

Hi, readers! I'm probably gonna die eventually since the Witch Creek fire happened. (Yeah, I'm in California.) But hopefully, I won't. The heat's killin' me, though. There's some Kyuubis that have been finally revealed, but I didn't go over them yet. Let's go to the first tail:

Kitsuna, of the Aisu Clan. She's in the same family as Katashi, which she eventually killed to get top shelf in the Kyuubi. There's a link to her image on my profile page if you want to take a look. I imagined her in her early 20's despite the pic. As her name suggests, she controls foxes.

Next is Inuka: the sixth tail. She controls canines and such, more specifically, wolves. I was looking around for an image and I ended up with the link on my profile. She killed her baby sister in order to be in the Kyuubi; also, she's one of the minor add-ins: no ties with anyone else.

Now that's settled, let's start chapter 14!

**Chapter 14**

The calm, peaceful aura surrounding the lake was disrupted in a fury.

Flesh hungry sharks tore through the waves Isamu rushed to make. He swam frantically for survival, although every inch of his body cramped and ached.

'_I gotta do something!'_

Once he was at a safe distance, he stopped swimming and turned to face the treacherous carnivores. They opened their jaws wide, craving to rip off Isamu's limbs bit by bit. He saw their death-threatening teeth, razor sharp and able to pierce through bone. By then, one of the sharks was only five feet away.

Isamu brought his hands onto the shark's upper haw and snout. He swung his feet onto the lower jaw, avoiding the sharp teeth. The shark's jaw was locked in place as it tried to clamp down and snap it shut. But the ninja held strong, keeping his limbs straight.

The shark's comrades honed in from both the left and right. Their mouths continued to snap, awaiting the tear Isamu to shreds. He saw them coming, desperately thinking of a solution.

'_Man, I wish a dragon was here! It'd totally fix this mess!!'_

That was it. He gasped inward at the idea. As long as Isamu moved at the right time, the plan would be foolproof.

He waited until the companions were in a 3 foot radius. Muscles began to cramp some more, but he managed.

Until the moment came. The two other sharks snapped open their jaws as Isamu let go and jumped high in the air, letting the first shark clamp down on its lower jaw.

From above, he saw the carnivores run into each other, smashing their snouts and flailing their fins. He was glad they became distraught and tangled.

Clapping his hands together, he made the signs of cow, tiger, snake, and rooster.

"WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON BLAST!!"

As they continued to squirm before regaining balance, the water beneath the sharks began to churn, creating a huge current with a growing force. It slowly rose into a pillar of about 100 feet high, towering above the sharks with awesome power. The liquid began to change into a serpentine form of a monstrous dragon.

Glowing yellow eyes illuminated on the sides of the head. Although its fangs were liquid, they could snap viciously at a target and rip it apart.

Point is, it was way more powerful than the sharks combined.

The dragon created a typhoon around the sharks and sucked the water out, leaving them to suffocate on the dry sea level.

It didn't take long for them to lose their lives and dissolve into nothing.

The dragon died down, but still created threatening waves. Isamu collapsed in the lake, washing to shore in exhaustion.

'_That was close…'_

He finally felt like relaxing…

Until a group of water snakes wrapped around his entire body. Their scales brushed off Isamu's skin and chills shot up his spine. He tried to move but their loud hisses and bared fangs froze his muscles.

"So weak…"

Isamu jerked his head to the dark trees, where a young figure moved out like a reptile. Her pure black split ends swayed with the wind. The ice blue eyes looked drowsy, although he could see a bloodlust in them that gave a foreshadowed death.

"Ekika…" Isamu struggled to breathe. He wrestled for freedom until reptiles of all species crawled out of the bushes. Snakes, monitor lizards, geckos…There was at least one aspect of them that gave an unquenched bloodlust.

'_No…I'm gonna die…I CAN'T die…'_

"But you must."

He looked up at Ekika as she cast her dull gaze on him. She read his thoughts through his petrified expression.

"You're only a waste of space in existence. No one acknowledges you whole self." She knelt down beside Isamu, avoiding her critter followers.

The ninja felt all confidence disappear. All reasons of being a ninja turned stupid and worthless. He wanted her gone; he wanted Ekika dead. But there was no strength within to help Isamu get away from the reptiles…

"You're all a waste of space. After you, I'll finish those fucking priestesses and the retarded shinobis. How wonderful is that?"

His face was emotionless as the mind absorbed Ekika's words. He lost everything because of her; it was se that made Isamu feel lonely for four years…until he found a place to stay with Souma and the others.

They were his new family.

"After I kill you, I'll kill them all."

Isamu's hand grabbed a fistful of dirt silently. The serpents moved around his quiet action, concealing the plan from his relative.

All at once, the ninja threw the dirt straight into Ekika's visage. Her eyes became tainted and she screamed out in agony.

"AAHH!! GOGYOU, YOU ASSHOLE!!"

The reptiles surrounding Isamu screeched and hissed, feeling the Kyuubi's pain along with her. They slithered and crawled away in a hurry…

Until the ninja identified a certain reptile. As it writhed in pain, Isamu noticed its short snout and beady eyes. Brown scales covered every inch of its body, but yellow rings circled around its tail in a delicate pattern. Large in size, the reptile's body was about 30 inches long.

'_Dammit…that's a--!!'_

But his deep thoughts were cut short; his legs were gripped tightly by dry hands with long nails. Ekika glared with searing eyes as she dragged Isamu's body on the scraping debris.

Isamu had no time to think; he was going to die. He reached out for the reptile and desperately wrapped his finger around its tail. As his half-sister dragged him, he dragged the reptile before swinging it around to her face. Her visage turned white as Ekika looked into its beady orbs. She knew the fatal consequences of contact with the reptile: it would have led to her demise.

Instinctively, the fifth tail began to back away to safety. But nothing was able to save her. Her following critter reacted to the "harm" brought upon it; Isamu held the reptile uncomfortably.

Its jaw snapped wide open before the ninja flung it at Ekika's retreating form. The teeth sank into her bare triceps in midair, ejecting its liquid into her veins.

She wailed in agony as she hit the ground, shattering her hip bone. The fangs pierced her flesh and excreted the liquid, which forced Ekika to squirm and writhe. Despite her violent movement, the reptile stayed put.

"That's a Mexican beaded lizard…" Isamu panted as he got to his feet, looking down at her writhing form in vain. "The only lizard in the world that's poisonous."

By then, the venom spread through her entire body. Ekika twitched on the cold ground next to the lake; her fat was advancing on a quick pace. With all her strength, she looked up at Isamu's green orbs and found disappointment rather than the usual hatred.

"I'm not weak anymore," he explained. "I'll find courage every time I need it." Isamu kept his firm gaze and clenched his fists.

"You may have killed my family…but I found a place to belong within my friends."

With a rapid beating heart, he turned around and walked away, leaving Ekika to suffer the poison. As the last breath escaped her lips, the lips themselves began to deteriorate into thin air, leaving the world of existence permanently.

He did it. Isamu avenged his mother and her family. He finally gained courage and strength to stand up on his own for the rest to his life.

'_If we met on different terms…Ekika and I might have gotten along.'_

Isamu dragged his legs over to the lake. He cupped his hands, scooping a handful of water, and finally splashing his face to wake him up.

From a distance, a man with dark orange hair and gray eyes watched agitated. His partner was killed, his creatures were conquered and he wanted to kill Isamu. Fukaso was getting pissed off.

He remained completely discreet in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.

* * *

Meanwhile, within Aetha, Hikaru Kasai ran at the speed of light through bare fields of tall grass. He knew he was going far, but every second the critters were catching up to him. They hid inside the tall blades of grass, barely revealing them.

'_This is fucking stupid!'_

He skidded in his tracks before clapping his hands to make the sign of the dragon.

'_Here I go!!'_

With a wave of his hand, a chill began to pick up. The wind suddenly grew fierce and smacked him across the face, but it didn't bother Hikaru.

He held out a hand until air particles formed and coalesced between his knuckles.

"WIND STYLE…"

Hikaru jumped high in the air, taking aim at the hidden enemies. Once that was done, the ninja completed making wind-based kunai knives.

"WIND SCYTHES!!"

In a powerful swing, he threw the air knives at the tall grass. The rush of wind deafened his ears; the sound entered ultrasonic mode as it traveled through the atmosphere. Each and every blade of grass snapped in two at the blink of an eye. The separated halves fell to the ground as his pursuers were finally revealed.

Their furry bodies began to ruffle as they bared sharp teeth. Rings surrounded their eyes and sharp nails clawed the ground. The long tails moved in a sly motion with the dying wind. Hikaru glared right back at the ferocious orbs of raccoons and weasels.

'_Ugly little buttmunches…'_

Hikaru forced the wind to pick up in power. The blades of grass that were chopped off began to levitate in the air, slowly aiming at the critters. With one swing of his arm, the blades shot straight at the enemies with energy surrounding them.

They gained power and became deadly as the blades of grass became as sharp as knives. Hikaru forced them to ambush on the critters.

But his targets began to disperse everywhere. Hikaru softly landed on his feet and looked around for the menacing creatures. Some were on hi right, some were on his left.

He wondered which group to chase; all of them were too fast. A group of combined raccoons and weasels were only a few feet away.

'_I'll go after them…'_

Hikaru took a step forwards until claws began to dig into his shins. He stumbled and fell to his knees, trying to stifle the pain. Looking at his legs, raccoons and weasels smirked up at him with razor sharp teeth. The blood ran down his legs, staining his purple uniform in a crimson color.

More critters sped up to their point. Hikaru saw the grass rustle.

The cavalry was coming.

He saw a figure embedded with the rushing horde. Hikaru found dull blue orbs, sky blue rings around the eyes, and black & white colored hair.

'_It's Niro!!'_

Indeed. The second tail was closing in with a deep bloodlust. "Your head's mine, Kasai!!"

Hikaru panicked. In a fright, he placed his palms on the ground and launched himself into the air. Upside down in midair, the animals on his legs lost their grip and fell to the ground. As he landed on his feet not far from them, Niro rushed up and began to blow punches and kicks at him.

The ninja struggled to keep up with Niro's speed, but his legs kept throbbing with pain. The animals went around them, waiting to pounce on Hikaru again, but obeyed Niro's command.

The second tail earned a chance to smack Hikaru across the face and make him stumble. He smirked as the ninja rubbed his cheek to ease the pain.

"You're weak! You'll always BE weak!!"

Hikaru gritted his teeth and growled. The power within him grew and reached new heights, giving him strength.

'_I'm not weak…and I'll prove it!!'_

In a rage, he ran up and threw punches at Niro's face. The second tail dodged them with ease, but he noticed a change in confidence. He paid attention to his anger.

"I WILL beat you!!"

Hikaru leapt up and placed a foot on Niro's chest. He grunted to force himself off and back flipped farther. Niro was pushed back and stumbled with the weasels and raccoons.

The ninja concentrated all his energy in his arms before making hand signs.

'_Dragon, snake, tiger, ox, dragon, ran, horse, dog, rooster!!'_

Once he saw that all of his enemies were grouped together, Hikaru summoned a significantly large amount of wind. Niro and the animals watched in awe as the cold air began to pick up. An enormous gust of wind suddenly blew in their direction, deafening their ears and cutting off the oxygen.

Their bodies were suddenly picked up from the ground. The force coalesced in a wild tornado, raising them into the air. None of them could move against the rush of wind. They began to suffocate and choke on the lack of oxygen.

"WIND STYLE: CUTTING WHIRLWIND!!"

The wind started to grow fierce. Niro didn't know hat would happen until a sharp pain slashed him on the cheek. Only a small amount of blood trickled before being blown away by the sickling winds.

'_No!'_

Slash marks and deep cuts suddenly appeared all over his body. Blood leaked out and stained his garments. It wasn't long until the deadly winds slashed Niro's throat.

He began to drown in his own crimson liquid. The raccoons screeched out in pain while their fur turned to dust. The claws shattered and the cries died out. Carcasses quickly deteriorated along with Niro before the whirlwind died out.

Hikaru panted, too tired to walk back to the Nexus.

'_One down…some other more to go.'_

He knew Aetha wasn't the only realm that was infiltrated. Raido, Isamu, and Katashi were probably fighting members of the Kyuubi as well…maybe members that were stronger than Niro.

Wasting no time, he began to move towards the gate…until a man with crimson eyes blocked his path. His black hair moved in rhythm with his chuckle. The long overcoat swayed in the breeze.

"Itachi…" he said in a rude manner. "Get out of my way unless you're here to fight me."

"Oh, of course not," Itachi sarcastically remarked. "I'm here to make party arrangements and have tea cozies with you."

Hikaru paused for a moment. "What the fuck's a tea cozy?"

"Does it fucking matter!?" The seventh tail was annoyed by his ignorance. "No wonder the fourth tail isn't here."

Hikaru's eye twitched. "Fourth tail" was _**his**_ codename…

"Where is he…Fukaso?"

Itachi waited to answer; he wanted to see the wind ninja fill with hate. "He's tied up at the moment in Aquis. But don't worry: I'm a substitute for him."

His hands were clenched into fists. Was Fukaso that much of a coward to face his own cousin?

"Well, then…" Itachi swung his arms while stretching his neck. "Let's get this over with."

"Shut up."

The Kyuubi became confused until he saw the rage in Hikaru's eyes. The blue orbs turned to ice, no longer thinking of sparing Itachi.

"Being my cousin's substitute was your biggest mistake. Wanna die??"

He held out a palm in front of them, mustering a high potent of energy. Hikaru could feel it center into his palm…until the energy itself could be seen by the naked eye. Wind gathered all around, shaping the energy into a spiraling blue sphere. The energy spun wildly in all directions, but stayed in a perfect shape.

Itachi could feel the power emanating from it, dreading to make contact.

'_What…IS that!?"_ His red orbs marveled at the spiraling sphere with fascination and fear. The ninja kept it in his palm as he slowly advanced towards Itachi.

Hikaru stretched out his arm and drove the sphere straight into Itachi's gut. The speed, the power…the seventh tail couldn't anticipate it. His energy was too strong.

Itachi felt his insides burst. Energy ripped through his skin and dug into his stomach. He couldn't take it.

As the energy was driven into him, Itachi increased in size, expanding at an incredible rate. His cheeks puffed, all his limbs got fatter, and his head inflated like a balloon.

Until it popped.

"RASENGAN!!"

Itachi's insides became outsides. The internal organs became external. Blood and brains spilled out onto the field as Hikaru pierced through. Crimson gore splattered his face until he finally stopped in his tracks.

The ninja looked around and saw the weasels doomed to the same fate. It was all like a massacre: their body parts littered the field like toxin in an ocean.

The stench didn't bother Hikaru as much as Fukaso's whereabouts.

'_Aquis…Gogyou's in trouble.'_

Crossing the fields, Hikaru rushed back to the gate, hoping to finally avenge his brother.

* * *

Okay…3 chappies left. Stay tuned! 


	15. Chapter 15

Yay! I'm safe…for now. Still burning up, but at least I have no school till next week!

I'm happy how my story's finally gonna end. It's kinda hard for me to get to the internet since my connection keeps getting lost, and I spend half of the day trying to reconnect it. But, life goes on…like how this story should go on. Let's start!

**Chapter 15**

Back in the Nexus Hub, not everything was still and silent. In fact, it was the direct opposite.

Protecting and guarding the pillar of energy, Souma raised his fists against the ninth tail, Hebiko. He arrived just in time to help the others in the battle against the Kyuubi, although he wasn't sure he could actually get rid of one of the nine enemies.

Hebiko smirked as more of her beloved serpents were summoned out of her arms, hissing and slithering towards the boy.

"Why don't you be a good little boy and DIE!?" she threatened. Her slitted pupils cast a feeling of terror to their target, but Souma didn't even quiver.

"No thanks. Got people here that need saving." He gave a little smirk, finding confidence within. "On the other hand, YOUR death would actually mean something: the safety of the entire universe!"

Hebiko gritted her teeth and flared her nostrils. "This is why I hate kids!!"

From all around, serpents of every species surrounded the young gym instructor. Rattlesnakes, vipers, and even cobras thirsted for Souma's blood.

But he stood confident. Everything was at a stalemate until a venomous mamba struck at his left side. Souma dodged the fangs, but as soon as he did, a coral snake struck on his right. One by one, he evaded his attackers, but they all knew his speed was lessening. Sooner or later, Souma was snake food.

He glanced over at a small cache he gained access to prior to the fight.

'_That's it!'_

Souma was about to take a step forward until cottonmouths and bushmasters blocked his path, baring their fangs. The boy gritted his teeth, his legs trembled with fear, but confidence flowed through him. Souma put on a bold expression and dashed to the side towards the wall; the serpents tailed him.

He propped his feet up against the wall, perpendicular to Hebiko's position. The snakes till rushed to him, but by then, Souma sprung his feet off of the wall and flew to the opposite side of the Hub. The snakes stopped dead in their tracks or made a U-turn. They sped in the other direction to catch the young man, but Souma already sprung his legs off the wall again. He picked up speed and ricocheted back to the first wall.

The snakes kept swerving back and forth, trying to catch him with their piercing teeth, but he kept jumping closer and closer to the mysterious cache.

Souma reached out into the hidden place while flying past it in midair. His stretched arm commanded his fingers to grasp onto a long object. Souma wrenched it out of the cache before finally landing on the ground.

'_What the…!?'_ Hebiko thought deeply. _'What kind of trick is he pulling??'_

He placed his hands on both ends of the object. Slowly, but surely, Souma slid one side off, detaching it from the whole thing. A long curved blade revealed itself and gleamed in his eyes. He finally pulled the blade out of the sheath and swung it to point in Hebiko's direction.

'_Give me strength…brother Tsubasa!!'_

She watched in fright as Souma rushed up towards her horde of serpents. Despite threatening glares and hisses, they didn't stop the young man from bringing the cold steel down on their necks. It sliced through their hard scales like butter…or softer than it.

The decapitated heads went flying in the air, the fountain of blood followed right behind. Gore splattered on the ground like rain as Souma slashed through the boomslangs, tree snakes, cobras, mambas…creating carnage behind everywhere he went.

His slays came to a halt once he diced the innards of a king cobra, drowning in the serpent gore. As he looked up at the frozen Hebiko, his hazel orbs reflected the bloodlust and battle that just happened.

'_Those wild eyes…!!'_

She wheeled around and set her running destination to an invisible portal she created.

Hebiko's feet were commanded to move…but all her nerves and senses to her lower body were instantly cut off. A slow but grievous pain came from her abdomen. Fear crept into her mind, but Hebiko decided to look down.

A blade protruded from her chest; blood dripped off from the end and stained her ragged clothes. It faced upward, dreading her thoughts even more…until Souma carved through the upper body vertically, drawing closer to her brain.

'_Stupid kids…'_

Her skull was split in half before Souma brought the sword around and decapitated Hebiko. The two pieces of her head rolled in opposite directions. Hebiko's crimson insides drenched the young instructor with gore.

'_That's that.'_

Souma turned his head, seeing two characters fight from a far distance.

* * *

Armed with Chikane's tanto, the solar priestess lunged and slashed at her opponent, but the eighth tail snickered as she dodged with ease. Mujina made sure her purple highlights didn't sway into her line of sight.

"You suck, solar priestess!!" She rushed up and dodged Himeko's lame attempts, earning a blow to her abdomen.

Himeko felt like puking. Stepping back, she coughed and gasped for air while holding tightly onto her ribcage. She took deep breaths while looking up at Mujina achingly.

"It's impossible for you to hurt me, let alone kill me," the eighth tail sneered. "All the others, including the lunar priestess, have enough power and durability to last in a battle against a Kyuubi...you do _not_."

She gritted her teeth as she considered Mujina's concept. It was somewhat true: she hasn't done as much fighting as Souma and Chikane in her life; the boys were blessed with strength. All of them had strong, energetic brawn in them to help their situations.

Himeko felt like sinking in the background. She could not rise up to their high levels of power.

'_Chikane, I love you…but how can I do that if I don't have enough strength to fight!?'_

"_**I must say, Miss Kurusugawa…"**_

Freezing in place, she suddenly remembered the words of Souma's adoptive brother, Kazuki Ohgami.

"_**That was a very powerful summoning. It was deemed impossible to resurrect Ame no Murakumo with only one priestess. But you have proven it wrong."**_

She remembered them clearly. Those words of gratitude made her feel like she accomplished something important.

"_**You may not have as much physical energy as much as Souma and Miss Himemiya…"**_

Gripping the tanto, Himeko pointed it towards Mujina in a stabbing-like manner. As she prepared to strike, badgers revealed themselves from behind the Kyuubi, longing to taste her crimson insides.

"_**But you do have a substantial amount of spiritual energy."**_

She felt it. Strong forces mustered inside her as she finally charged into the oncoming stampede of badgers.

'_God of Takemi Katana… God of Iwatsutsu no O… God of Kanayama Hiko…God of Kanayama Hime…God of Tsurugi no Ikusa… God of Tate no Ikusa… Please!'_

It was small at first, but strong ferocious energy grew immensely as she held out the tanto.

The gods heard her prayers.

Himeko raised the tanto above her head and brought it down through the badger's skull. The bone spilt in two as blood in warm temperature spilled out of the mouth and eye sockets.

Then and only then did Himeko's purple orbs glow in a crimson bloodlust. She felt the power surge through her veins. In an instant, Himeko pulled the tanto out of the badger and jumped a great distance towards Mujina.

The two girls were practically toe-to-toe when the solar priestess appeared before the eighth tail. Mujina was taken over by shock, but her predatory instincts helped bring her arms in hook swings. Himeko ducked to dodge them before sticking the tanto through her jaw and brain, stabbing Mujina in the head.

Her jaw was locked tight as blood spurted out onto Himeko's hand. It leaked through her mouth and eye sockets, which slowly hardened to stone. Her creature followers roared out and scratched their nails, trying to endure the internal pain. But it was all too late.

Their stony figures eventually became dirt and dust. Mujina's remains scattered on Himeko's palm as she panted with exhaustion.

'_I did it…I really did it!!'_

She stood up straight and lightly brushed her arms. There were other Kyuubi to worry about.

'_I hope Chikane and Souma are all right…'

* * *

_

She had no time to check on Katashi or Volca. Everyone else was in the similar situation…or worse.

Chikane was almost out of breath, but she continued pacing herself towards Aquis, where Isamu's condition was yet to be confirmed. She rushed through the gate with high pride, finding courage and strength all around.

The moment she entered the realm of water, Chikane's blue eyes found Isamu standing on the shore of the lake. As she tried to approach him, she noticed his form in a steady position, waiting to make a move.

"Gogyou?"

He turned, saw the lunar priestess approaching, and became terrified. The green orbs held fright and concern.

"Miss Himemiya, no!!"

But it was too late. Out of the thicket, a tall figure reached out and collided into Chikane. The force threw her off balance, despite how much she struggled. Chikane and the figure plunged into the deep lake as she dropped her quiver and bow.

"Miss Himemiya!!"

Isamu ran to the edge of the lake, but the priestess was already halfway across the water. He was able to catch a glimpse of spiky orange hair ripping through the waves.

'_It's Fukaso!'_

Chikane gasped for breath as she was dragged through the waters. But strong hands gripped tightly on her neck, limiting her air supply. She was able to open an eyelid and spot the obscenely sharp teeth. His gray eyes looked upon her with a deep craving as she realized who it was.

'_I'm in trouble…'_

"WATER STYLE: FIVE EATING SHARKS!!"

Isamu placed his hands along the shore and sent energy through the water, forming shark figures. Fukaso kept swimming faster and faster as the ninja ordered his creations to pursue them.

"It's useless!!" Fukaso cried. As the water-based sharks drew closer, he held out his free hand towards the creatures. With all his power he churned the lake waters and ripped apart the sharks' forms.

"You can't get to me!!"

Chikane was almost at her limit. Water rushed up her nose; if she opened her mouth even for a split second she would drown; also, Fukaso tightened his grip around her slender neck. All her senses began to go numb as her consciousness drifted away.

'_Is…this it…?'_

Isamu fell to his hands and knees. He tried everything to save the lunar priestess and none of it worked.

'_No…Miss Himemiya…'_

"Quit being a wimp."

His head jerked to the side and his eyes widened. Hikaru caught a casual personality as he tried to ready an arrow on the bow.

"K-Kasai!!"

The wind ninja kept his concentration on the bow. "I thought you finally changed. "He looked down at Isamu. "Well…you changed a LITTLE."

Right then, Isamu saw something he never thought he would see. It was faint, but the slightest grin emerged from Hikaru's face. That kind of smile would only come from a friend. And then it was finally the day Isamu felt like he belonged.

He continued and finally had the sharp arrow prepared. Stretching the line, he took aim at the fourth tail. Slowly following Fukaso's path, the ninja thought of what he was about to do: murder his cousin to avenge his brother. Would that have made him inhuman? Killing a close relative would be hard to do. But to let him live and terrorize the universe would be hard as well.

Making sure to miss Chikane, Hikaru took aim and finally released the arrow.

The fourth tail enjoyed torturing the lunar priestess. His heart was pounding with excitement…until his heart was pounding no more. Sharp metal pierced through Fukaso's back and poked through his chest. Grip weakening, he eased off of Chikane and held onto the arrow of death.

Chikane swam to the surface and finally gasped for breath. Her throat ached for nurturing as she watched Fukaso's still form sink deeper and deeper into the lake. Looking towards the shore, she saw Hikaru lower her bow to his side.

'_I owe you one, Kasai.'_

All her muscles carried no energy after the draining struggle. Isamu helped her out by creating a wave to move her towards the shore. Together, he and Hikaru helped Chikane to her feet and began dragging her back to the Nexus.

Surprisingly, Hikaru felt relieved: he carried no grief over his cousin's death. He was jus glad that he could help the world.

'_What about Aisu and Ikazuchi?'

* * *

_

Yay! My damn internet keeps disappearing. But I'll do my best to keep posting up chapters. Almost done with the story, so stay tuned!!


	16. Chapter 16

Fire's gone…everyone's okay…except for my old teacher in middle school. She died in the fire. R.I.P.

My internet's still being a bitch. It's because there's something up with either my router, modem, or Cox cable company. Ether way, I'm getting really frustrated cuz the internet's practically my life. There's not one day in my life where I don't go on or myspace. :P

Well…almost done with the story. Oh, btw, Hikaru's older brother is gonna have a name. It just won't be revealed until next chapter. Let's go!!

**Chapter 16**

They finally made it out of the Aquis gate once they saw Himeko and Souma, unharmed and alive.

"Chikane!!" Himeko ran up to the lunar priestess with worried eyes. Isamu and Hikaru allowed her to support Chikane by herself as she slid beneath an arm and held on tight. "Do you need medical assistance?"

She smiled and shook her head. "N-No…I'll be fine." Once she looked around, Chikane's expression turned into concern. "Where are Aisu and Ikazuchi?"

Souma became worried as well. "Hold on…" He turned towards the gate of Solum, the earth realm and Raido's training dimension. "I'll go look for—"

But as he tuned to dash towards his destination, he saw none other except Raido himself. With little exhaustion, he carried no serious injuries and was able to stand tall.

"Don't worry about me," he assured. "I handled my side of the field." Raido gestured his head towards Volca, and Souma got the message.

"Right," Souma nodded. "Now it's Aisu."

The team rushed towards Volca, despite their stinging injuries. Chikane continued to recollect her strength, but deep down, she felt that something was wrong in the realm of fire.

Hikaru rushed up to the gateway of Volca and waited for it to automatically open. He kept his cool while his eyes were fixated on the gate…but nothing happened.

"What's going on?" he finally asked. The wind ninja placed a hand on the gate and checked for any flaws. Finding none, Hikaru fitted his fingers between the doors and tried to open it.

But nothing happened.

"Is Aisu still in there?" Raido went up to his side and assisted in prying open the sealed gates. They tried forcing them open simultaneously, but the ninjas had no avail.

Chikane dreaded the worst. "No…"

All boys turned towards her. They expressed looks of doubt and worry.

"What is it?" Souma dared to ask.

Himeko quivered before giving a hard explanation. "…A realm responds to its ninja's life force. If the ninja dies…it stays closed."

Their faces dropped. Eyes kept switching from the priestesses to the gate. The concept kept reeling in their heads…until, finally, Isamu took action.

"No!!"

His hands clasped onto the small crack of the door. Tugging and pulling, Isamu used all his efforts t gain access into Volca; he grunted and pushed on the ground with his feet while the other just stood watch.

"Aisu's not dead! He's too strong to lose to only 2 tails! He doesn't deserve this!!"

Raido and Hikaru were amazed by his unbreakable will. After years, of loneliness, Isamu found a place where he belongs among the priestesses and the others. It was only a short while since they were revealed their destinies, but within that time…the shinobis, along with Souma and the priestesses, became his family.

And Isamu couldn't afford to lose Katashi.

The ninja of water felt all his energy atrophy. For all he knew Katashi _could_ be dead. But he had to see with his own eyes. Isamu felt something warm near his knuckles and looked up; it surprised only a little to see Raido help pull the other door. His purple orbs brimmed with determination as he gave Isamu a comforting smile.

It was then that Hikaru got between them and tried to push the doors apart. His days of being laid-back were over as sweat dripped down their faces. His pranks weren't gonna help anyone live.

Chikane admired their efforts, but the truth was that they alone couldn't open the gate. The only way for it to even slide a millimeter was if Katashi was alive. She closed her eyes, praying to the gods to help the ninjas understand.

Until they heard a small creak.

Her eyes snapped open and saw bright rays leak out from between the doors. The ninjas grunted and flexed their muscles, giving their heart, body, and soul into getting through to Volca. Raido gritted his teeth as he clung tightly onto the door.

'_Come on…COME ON!!'_

Hikaru screamed out as the stone doors were finally pushed aside. Heat and blinding light attacked their faces; it didn't help cool down their exhaustion. They dropped and knelt while taking deep breaths, but the ninjas knew one thing for sure.

'_Aisu's alive!!'_

But before they could rush in to check, a sudden figure flew out and knocked them to the ground. The ninjas sprawled back to their feet as they along with the other teens watched the mysterious figure made its way to the center of the Nexus.

"What was that!?" Himeko asked frantically.

"Kitsuna…"

They wheeled back to Volca before their eyes widened. His shinobi uniform was torn everywhere; blood oozed all around; along the curve of his cheek was four deep slashes.

But Katashi still stood in one piece.

"Aisu!!"

He almost stumbled out, but Raido and Isamu caught him just in time.

"Kitsuna…" he said in a low tone. "She's aiming to control the Nexus…Get to the control…!!"

Everyone nodded and understood what to do. His arms slung over Raido and Isamu's shoulders as they supported him back to the hall.

Power surged like madness. They did their best to avoid the lashes of energy as Chikane and Himeko gave worried looks.

Balance between the primal forces was disrupted…and chaos was about to ensue throughout the universe.

A sheer cackle was heard above as they jerked their heads up. Kitsuna was engulfed by four different energies, making her and unstoppable being.

"You'll all burn in hell!!"

"She's lost it," Katashi muttered. He looked down and shook with anger. _'Is this the legacy of the Aisu Clan!?'_

Hikaru slowly walked up as he accepted defeat. "We've lost."

"No, we haven't."

The boys turned to Chikane and Himeko, seeing the determination and concern.

"We have a chance," the lunar priestess assured. "But only Himeko and I can do it. You guys need to get back to Mortalis."

"Himemiya…" There was a quiver in Souma's throat. "We can't just leave you two behind! Once the Nexus explodes, it will kill you!!"

But she just shook her head. "We can handle it! If the ninjas die, we may not have a chance to survive!!"

They didn't like the idea, but Himeko and Chikane had to do it. Souma had no choice but to agree.

Chikane finale finally found strength within her and eased herself off of Himeko. They clasped their hands together and chanted a prayer.

"With the powers of the eight million gods, we wish for the primal forces to transfer to the rightful shinobi!!"

And with that, the four different energies spiraled in the air, entwined with each other. They swerved and curved all around…until they finally collided with the ninjas. The power coursed through their veins, endowing them with great strength and great responsibility.

Katashi still feared for their safety. "Miss Himemiya…"

Souma gripped Tsubasa's sword, unable to accept their terms. "Himeko…"

"Go!!" Himeko ordered.

The priestesses looked up at Kitsuna's meager form. It was only a matter of time before she lost control and destroyed the Nexus. Souma and the others slowly backed away, waiting to change their minds and stay.

But Chikane looked desperate and angry.

"Get out of here!! As long as you're alive, the balance between the elements will hold! Leave, NOW!!"

They turned their heels and fled. Souma felt like blaming himself, but it wouldn't help Chikane and Himeko: someone had to look over the ninjas.

'_Goodbye, Himemiya…Himeko…'_

A portal for Mortalis was automatically created. He lunged forward and landed on the other side with sword in hand. Hikaru tumbled out right after him and landed hard on the ground. Raido and Isamu struggled to keep Katashi up, dragging his feet when they had to. Together, the three of them jumped through the portal and landed next to Hikaru.

And then the portal closed up.

Souma stared at where the portal opened. Himeko and Chikane were still in the Nexus. Life at the Ohgami Shrine wasn't going to be the same.

* * *

Their garments washed away and the solar & lunar symbols appeared. Hands still clasped together, Chikane and Himeko prayed with all that their spirits could give. 

'_**Solar priestess…lunar priestess…You have completed your mission.'**_

"Yes," Chikane nodded.

'_**You have sacrificed so much. In return, one wish will be granted.'**_

"Really?" Himeko's visage brightened.

'_**Hurry and state your desire.'**_

They looked into each other's eyes. They could wish for life and survive the destruction of the Nexus…but their other desire for Earth's benefit got in the way. One had to be chosen over the other; either way, the decision was hard.

But they didn't care. As long as they were together, that was all that mattered. Himeko needed to be with Chikane, and Chikane needed to be with Himeko.

In life or death, they would be together.

And so the priestesses made their decision.

"We wish for the Kyuubi tails to be given a second chance: a life without the desire for power."

* * *

Yeah. The choice was: either they lived or the tails are reincarnated, given a second chance in life. Keep reading!! 

FINAL CHAPTER NEXT.


	17. Chapter 17

Okay…final chapter. Thanks for reading my fanfic till the very end. I started on _Family Love_; I hope lots of people will like it. Getting into it was interesting. Let's go!

**Chapter 17**

Mahoroba: a small village situated by the Sea of Japan in the western part of the country. A peaceful village…for peaceful lives.

Within the Kamiyatate University Medical Center, a young woman inheriting bright yellow eyes waited as a small infant was brought into her arms. Hebiko smiled at the little treasure that finally came into the world.

"It's a boy."

* * *

"Congratulations, sweetheart." 

Mujina smiled up at her proud father as they approached the dance floor. Her life seemed perfect: awesome parents, a hot husband, and now a traditional father-daughter dance at her wedding. As the music began to play, hot tears rolled down her cheeks before Mujina rested her head on her father's chest.

"Thank you, Daddy."

* * *

A young middle school student trembled in the back lot of Ototachibana Academy. His ruby eyes wouldn't dare look up at the stronger boy towering before him, who chuckled sadistically while clenching his fists. 

"Aw…do you wanna cry for mommy now?" the bully taunted. "When I ask for lunch money, you give it!"

"And when I tell you to fuck off, you'll die."

A man in his early twenties pulled on the collar of the bully. The stubborn little boy lost all his mean aspects and retreated back to the dark part of his mind. For when he saw the crimson red eyes and raven black hair, he turned into a whimpering little crybaby.

"Itachi-niisan!" the bullied victim cried.

Itachi continued staring at the bully. "What were you gonna do to my little brother again?"

He dropped him on the ground before the bully ran away crying. Itachi's younger brother hugged the other sibling closely in gratitude.

* * *

Inuka waved goodbye to her parents as they pulled out of the driveway for a night out. She sighed before retreating back into the house, relieved that they were finally gone. 

"Feels good with no 'rents around."

Slowly entering the living room, she found her newborn sister cooing softly in her cradle. Babysitting was a serious gig, but Inuka was glad to do it. Her heart warmed up as she held out her hand and allowed the baby's fingers to wrap around her own.

* * *

She was nervous about entering the Gogyou household, despite the fact that her relatives were inside. Changes were difficult, but her mother was brave enough to make some. Although she had a new husband, Ekika's mother still cared for first child and her future. 

The door opened and allowed her entry, but she didn't expect to see her half-brother standing face-to-face with her.

"I-Isamu…" Fear and nervousness washed over Ekika. Her mother's new child might scorn her…

But Isamu did no such thing. He held out a gentle hand and welcomed his half-sister into his home.

"Come on in."

She felt relieved at the sight of his smile. Even though the Gogyous weren't her family, Ekika felt like she belonged. The young adult took hi hand and anticipated wonderful times with Isamu.

* * *

"We're going out!" 

A young man in his early twenties walked towards the front door, where his cousin and best friend, Fukaso, waited.

"Ichiro…" Fukaso nudged his head towards the living room, where the TV played Saturday morning cartoons. Ichiro chuckled as he knew what Fukaso was insisting.

"Hey, Hikaru!!"

His head popped up from behind the sofa. The friends chuckled as they motioned Hikaru to come along with them. The younger brother's face brightened with joy as he rushed to get his shoes.

"Mom, I'm going with Ichiro!" he cried.

* * *

Posters and signs were hung in front of the grocery store as they set up the table to collect donations. 

"Animals need homes! The elderly need care! Orphans need a family! Please donate to help all these causes!"

Nekoro looked back and smiled at his brother at the table. They finally found time to do something together…and Raido was happy.

It filled him with even more joy as donations were finally made from all around. He knew their mother would be proud for both of them with her strong heart.

* * *

"And how does that make you feel?" 

The wife still gave the cold shoulder to her husband. But Niro noticed a calmer aura between them; he knew his plan was working.

After his own parents went separate ways, the young marriage counselor couldn't stand to see other couples hate each other. Niro had an aspect about him that understood the life of marriage.

"I guess…" the wife began. "…I was a bit insensitive." Her head slowly turned to the man sitting on the other side of the sofa.

The husband began to feel guilty. "I may have been a bit…stupid."

Niro finally felt like he accomplished something. After giving a light sigh, he jotted down notes and progress on his clipboard.

But he also gave a little hint of a smile.

* * *

The Aisu Mansion was filled with countless family members, all happy and content with the party. Katashi watched from the balcony as everything was running smoothly in his life…and he finally felt like smiling. 

It wasn't forced or demanded to show. The cold demeanor never surfaced…as if it never existed. It didn't bother Katashi one bit, since he was glad it was all gone.

And in return, his clan was restored.

A gong was rung and all activity in the hallway stopped. The members of the Aisu Clan slowly moved into the spacious mess hall, and Katashi followed after descending the stairs.

Most lights were dimmed except one, which acted as a spotlight. From the back wall, Kitsuna appeared in a geisha uniform that was elegant enough for a princess; make-up covered every inch of her face, and her hairstyle never changed out of its unique way. As the ceremonial Aisu dance began, Katashi couldn't help but marvel at his cousin's radiant performance.

It also made him happy that she didn't remember anything about the Kyuubi or the Nexus.

* * *

Souma found a chance to relax on his porch as he sat on the house steps. The clear blue sky brought fresh air to his nostrils, making him want to inhale deeply and sigh. 

'_Everything seems okay…'_

The whereabouts of the priestesses still worried him. Whether they survived…or perished…he wanted to know.

As Souma turned his head towards the tall shrine steps, four boys came up with faces of knowledge and little sadness. He understood what happened: all five of them kept their memories and carried the burden of remembering the priestesses.

Once they gathered, there was silence for a minute. Raido was the first to break it.

"How can we go on…knowing who they were…thinking that they're somehow alive?"

Souma closed his eyes, trying to find an answer.

"Because we _are_ alive."

The voice was masculine. It was soft…calm…

Feminine.

Souma's hazel orbs snapped open and looked towards the shrine steps once more. The four students wheeled around as they expressed feelings of relief and joy.

Chikane Himemiya stood next to Himeko Kurusugawa in a beautiful dress, as was Himeko's. They both smiled proudly at the boys, proving their true existence.

"I guess we should thank the gods," Himeko said, turning to Chikane. "After all, it was them that offered _another_ wish at the last second."

The lunar priestess nodded. They were eternally grateful to be given another chance as well.

"So, this is Ohgami Shrine."

From behind the girls, an extremely handsome man with sea green hair ascended the steps and stood beside them. Souma recognized the stranger immediately as tears welled in his eyes.

"Big brother Tsubasa!!"

It was true. He was finally released from the big house and able to live as a free man. There was happiness all around.

As Souma rushed up to embrace his only blood relative, the four students followed his pace towards the priestesses.

Earth, water, wind, and fire: the four basic elements to maintain balance in the universe survived through four boys. It took them a month, October, to harness and control the strong power given to them. They had many thanks to Souma and the kannazuki no miko: priestesses of the godless month.

* * *

Yes!! Finally done! Well, that's that. And now, off to work on other things. See you next time. If you're interested in _Vampire Knight_, look out for my next story, _Family Love_!

Chikane-AnnaOnodera


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